Night Stalkers
by 12 Withering Roses
Summary: After a girl who was attacked and turned by a vampire is brought to him in the middle of the night, Mick must help her adjust to life as a vampire. He has to balance this challenge with his work and budding relationship with Beth. McBeth OFCOMC pairings
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Moonlight, anything that occurs in this fanfic from the show, or any of its characters. I do, however, own this plot. Yayz!

Rory couldn't help but notice how quiet the night was as she walked back to her apartment. It was 2 a.m. She was heading home from a party, cursing herself for having lost her wallet. She looked around her, feeling more than slightly unnerved by the unearthly silence. She thought she'd heard footsteps a moment ago. Figuring she was probably being paranoid, she turned to face forward again, walking slightly faster. She pulled her leather jacket more tightly around herself, tying the leather strap encircling the waist of the jacket more tightly. She paused yet again, listening to the silence. Definitely hearing something, she whirled around to face her pursuer. Her icy blue eyes scanned the darkness, seeing nothing. She whirled around again, her straight, black hair rippling out behind her with the unusually chilly breeze. Breathing heavily now, she abandoned all attempts to see who was following her, turned on her heel, and ran. Now she was positive someone was following her. Whoever it was had given up on trying to hide their presence, and was now obviously pursuing her. The streets were deserted, and whoever was chasing her was clearly gaining on her…

Exhausted, Seth decided to call it a night after looking up at the digital clock on his desk. He had been working on his University Term Paper for hours now, and decided to go grab a bite to eat before going to sleep. He rubbed his brilliant green eyes before running a hand through his curly, auburn coloured hair. After a minute, he stood up, grabbed his jacket and wallet, and left in search of a fast-food place that might still be open at quarter to 2 in the morning.

Rory kept running but soon realized that it was an effort in futility. Clearly whoever it was that was following her was much faster than she was. She couldn't keep running like this. Then, all of a sudden, the sound of her pursuer's footsteps stopped. She stopped, too. She stood for a moment, afraid to turn around. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Letting out a shriek, Rory found herself being turned to face a tall, dark-haired, handsome man of about twenty-three. She let out a sigh of relief, before "It's you!"

"Yeah, it's me. Sorry if I scared you. You left this at the party." He handed her a black leather wallet attached to a chain. "I followed you here from the party so I could return it."

"Oh…thanks." She said, taking the wallet and stashing it in her small, black backpack. "It's…Jeff, right?"

"Yeah." He said with a smile, showing a mouthful of perfect white teeth. Rory had been flirting with him all night at the party, and one of the first things she'd noticed were his teeth. She felt weak in the knees when he flashed that smile. After a moment of silence, Jeff asked, "So, Rory. Do you live around here?"

Rory shook her head. "Nah, but I had to walk home because I'd lost my wallet. Now I can call a cab to get the rest of the way."

"Well…my apartment's not too far from here. Why don't you come back to my place instead?" Jeff said.

Rory didn't usually make it a habit to go home with guys she'd just met, so she said, "You know, I'm really flattered and all, but I have to get home and feed my cat." It was a lie. Her cat had enough food to last him at least two days, but something about the prospect of going home with Jeff made her feel uneasy, despite his seemingly trustworthy face.

"I'm sure that can wait until tomorrow morning at least." He insisted, flashing his smile, which Rory no longer found charming, but scary.

"You know what, I've got to go…thanks for returning my wallet…but I have to go." Rory insisted, turning and walking away.

"Wrong answer." Jeff said quietly to himself. His face changed completely. He was no longer handsome, but terrifying. His formerly dark brown eyes became white. His perfectly proportioned canine teeth became elongated, so that they were not teeth, but long, piecing fangs. He ran with such speed that no human being could ever possibly hope to achieve, and within the blink of an eye, he was standing directly in front of Rory.

Seeing Jeff suddenly appear in front of her was shocking enough, but the transformation his features had undergone was enough to inspire crippling fear in anyone. She screamed, and with lightning speed, before she could even think about running, Jeff had pinned her to the wall of a building. She screamed louder, hoping for someone, anyone, to rescue her. With a grotesque, evil look on his face, Jeff plunged his teeth into Rory's neck. With a flash of blinding pain, Rory could feel the hot blood seeping onto her clothes, the weakness that overtook her as she lost blood. She finally reached a point where she could no longer feel anything, where she was just barely conscious, barely alive. Her mouth hung open. She did not even have the energy to close it. She could barely discern what was happening anymore, and barely tasted the warm, coppery substance that was now being poured into her mouth, barely felt it slide down her throat. Unable to remain conscious anymore, sure that she was dying, she let herself slip into the oblivious blackness that she had fought so hard against up until now…

Seth couldn't help but notice the chilly night air, strange for L.A. He also couldn't help noticing the silence. Occasionally, a car passed by, but other than that, the streets were empty. Taking in the night air, he was pulled suddenly from deep within his own thoughts by the sound of a woman screaming. The sound was somewhat close by, a few streets or so over. Adrenaline pumping through his veins, he ran the distance in less than ten minutes. After about four or five minutes the sound of the scream had faded, and Seth feared that by the time he arrived, he would be too late to save the girl. Rounding a corner, he stopped dead in his tracks. A girl, about twenty or so, was lying on the ground. A man was kneeling over her, although Seth couldn't quite make out what the guy was doing. Taking a deep breath, Seth shouted. "HEY! HEY, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"

Jeff looked up from the unconscious Rory to see a guy about his age standing at the end of the street. He stood up, laughed, and then ran at the guy.

Seth, startled, pulled out his pocketknife, the one given to him by his great-grandfather. In seconds flat, he had unfolded the knife, and as the maniac running at him came close enough, Seth plunged it into him. The psycho stumbled backward, caught by surprise by the knife. While Seth watched, he pulled the knife out of his side, took one last look at Seth, and ran off in the opposite direction. Seth picked up the bloody pocketknife, quickly wiped it on his jeans, folded it up, and shoved it in his pocket. Suddenly remembering the unconscious girl, he ran to her side. He checked her wrist for a pulse, but couldn't seem to find one. Realizing he'd forgotten his cell phone in his dorm room, he took her limp form in his arms and carried her to the nearest building. He ran to the door, wrenched it open, and began to run up several flights of stairs. He wasn't sure where exactly he was going or what it was that was leading him there, but he somehow knew where to go. He came out onto a landing, and, still carrying the girl, he found himself in front of a door. It read, "Mick St. John, Private Detective". Seth banged on the door as loudly as he possibly could. He yelled at the top of his lungs. "Help! HELP!"

Mick St. John was working on his computer in his office. He was working a Missing Persons case. With his vampire-heightened sense of hearing, he heard a frantic hammering on his door, as well as desperate cries for help. Deciding to investigate, Mick hurried to his door and examined the high-tech surveillance screen mounted to the wall beside the door. There stood a man in his early twenties, holding in his arms the form of a young woman who looked to be about the same age. Both were covered in blood. He opened the door, and as he did he was met by a variety of scents. Fear. Adrenaline. Human. Vamp. And something somewhere in between. He caught sight of the bite-marks on the girl's neck. "What happened? Did you do this to her?" Mick enquired of the young man, somewhat menacingly.

"No," the man answered, following Mick to the sofa, where he set down the girl. "I'm Seth. I found her like this…some guy attacked her, I heard her scream, and came running to investigate. I saw him kneeling over her. I yelled at him, and he ran at me. I stabbed him with my pocketknife, and he ran off. But he-" Seth stopped mid-sentence. Mick looked at him.

"Well…he what?" Mick asked impatiently.

"I…well he...look, I know this sounds crazy, but the guy looked really fucked up. Like…like he wasn't human." Seth concluded weakly. He heard Mick swear under his breath.

"Look, you did the right thing bringing her here. I'll take it from here. You should go." Mick said to Seth.

"But…wait. I need to know if she's alright. I need to stay with her!" Seth protested. Mick just shook his head and led Seth to the door. "Besides, we need to get her to a hospital!"

"Look, you've done all you can. There's nothing more you can do for her now." Mick told Seth, ushering him out the door and closing it. Mick watched the screen for a minute as Seth just stood there and, after he finally left, Mick turned his attention on the girl. He knew there wasn't much he could do now except wait. He examined the bite marks on her neck more closely and grabbed a packet of blood from his fridge. He knew that she was weak and needed blood quickly. He put some in a syringe and slowly squirted it into her mouth. After he had fed her half of the blood pack, he noticed that the wounds on her neck had healed. He looked at the clock. 2:30 a.m. He knew she'd probably be asleep, but he needed her help…

Beth sat bolt upright in bed as the phone woke her from a deep sleep. Swearing under her breath and wondering who would be calling this early in the morning, she scrambled to pick up the phone. She was really pissed off until she answered it and heard that familiar voice on the phone.

"Hey Beth." Mick sounded apologetic.

"Hey," Beth said, happy to hear his voice.

"Listen, I know it's really early, but I need you to come over here and help me with something. I wouldn't normally ask but-"

"No, no. It's no problem at all. I'll see you there in a few minutes." With that, Beth hung up the phone, dressed, grabbed her car keys and left her apartment. Luckily, her boyfriend was away on business so she didn't have to try to explain why she had to leave at 2:30 in the morning.

When she got to Mick's apartment, she was almost apprehensive about getting out of her car. The last time she'd seen Mick was a few days earlier, when she had been protecting a woman who was being hunted down by a serial-killer/cult leader turned vampire who was trying to kill her. That night she had also discovered that Mick had been her childhood rescuer, her Guardian Angel. She had shared a tender moment with him on the roof of his apartment, only to be pushed away by him.

She got in the elevator and went up to his door. She knocked very sharply on the door and waited for him to open it.

Mick heard Beth knocking from where he was beside the girl lying unconscious on the sofa. He checked the monitor screen before opening the door.

"Thanks for coming. I really appreciate this." He said to Beth.

"No problem." She replied, "Now, what's so important it couldn't wait until a halfway decent time in the morning?"

Mick motioned to the girl lying on the sofa. After explaining to Beth the story of the attack, of the man named Seth who had brought her there, and that the girl had been turned, he said, "So I need help cleaning her up. She needs a shower or something and-"

"Say no more." Said Beth, who had been listening intently while Mick had explained the situation. She helped Mick get the still unconscious girl into the bathroom, where Beth washed the blood off of her and changed her clothes. With Mick's help, she managed to get the girl into bed…

Seth had arrived back in his dorm room at about 3 a.m. He couldn't stop thinking about the mystery girl he'd saved earlier, couldn't help wondering if she was okay. She was all he could think about as he showered, put on a pair of boxers and a t-shirt, and made his way into bed. He found that he couldn't sleep because his head was spinning from everything that had happened in the last hour. It hadn't even seemed like an hour. It seemed more like days, or weeks, or even months. At last he managed to drift off into an uneasy sleep, but his dreams were disturbed by the appearance of the man who had attacked that girl. The man that couldn't possibly have been human.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Moonlight, anything that occurs in this fanfic from the show, or any of its characters. I do, however, own this plot. Yayz!

Rory awoke suddenly. Fear and adrenaline pumped through her as she looked around the unfamiliar room. She threw back the covers to find that she was not wearing the clothes she had been wearing last night, but a man's long-sleeved button-up shirt. She saw that the room led off into a bathroom and quickly ran in, shutting and locking the door behind her. Terrified and utterly confused, he leaned back against the door, closed her eyes, and tried to steady her breathing. When she opened her eyes again, she caught sight of her clothes, and was horrified to realize that they were covered in blood. But whose blood? Suddenly, she became painfully aware of a strange scent in the room. It was unlike any she had ever encountered before. It was somehow different, and it stirred something deep within her. It was as though she did not smell a scent, but rather an emotion. Fear. Adrenaline. Anger. Excitement. And something she couldn't quite distinguish. This scent did not trigger an emotional response. It was as though she smelled an animal, perhaps even some sort of distinguished human scent. Memories of last night came flooding back in bits and pieces…

She was running down a dark street, aware of someone chasing her. Suddenly he was in front of her, grabbing her and pinning her against a nearby brick wall. She feared she was going to die as an insane look overtook his once charming eyes. Suddenly, his canine teeth elongated into fangs, his dark eyes now white. He sunk his teeth into her neck. It was excruciatingly painful at first, but as her blood flowed out of her neck she became numb. Soon she felt nothing at all, except for the feeling that she was spiraling into oblivion. She was only slightly aware when a thick, warm, metallic-tasting substance was poured into her mouth and down her throat, and she heard someone yell before everything went dark…

She was startled from her flashback by a sudden knock at the bedroom door. When she did not answer, it opened and she heard footsteps in the room. They paused, before making their way to the bathroom door and knocking. She remained silent as they paused, and restrained the urge to scream, as there came a knock. A woman's voice came from behind it.

"Hello? Are you in there?" When Rory did not reply, the kind-sounding voice said, "I know you're wondering where you are and how you got here. I'm Beth. When you come out of there, I'll explain everything." With that, the woman named Beth's footsteps disappeared. Rory remained where she was; utterly terrified from everything that had happened. She looked at her own scared-looking reflection and did a double take. She pulled the collar of the shirt down so that she could examine her neck more closely. Where she had been bitten only last night, where there should be a fresh wound, there was nothing. It was as though none of it had happened. She began to wonder herself, began to question her own sanity. Were it not for the fact that her clothes were covered in blood, she might have just dismissed this all as a bad dream.

Rory's curiosity overpowering her current state of fear and confusion, along with the fact that she knew she couldn't stay in here forever, and that she had to get home, made her unlock the door and, after putting on her bloodstained clothes, slowly and cautiously exited the bathroom. The door to the room in which she was sleeping also happened to be closed. Taking a breath, she opened the door. Walking downstairs she was met by a man and a woman. The woman, who she assumed was Beth, was of average height, blond, and had blue eyes. She was wearing black pants and a black sweater, and was holding a black coffee mug. She smiled comfortingly at Rory. The man was tall, with dark hair and light blue-green eyes. He stood with his arms crossed leaning against the kitchen counter he was wearing jeans and a white long-sleeved shirt.

He let out a breath before saying, "We need to talk. About what happened." Rory looked at him, slightly afraid, yet eager for him to fill in the blanks. He went on. "Last night," he began, "you were attacked. You were brought here by a man who had chased off your attacker." He paused. "The man who attacked you…he was a vampire. Apparently, he'd had his eye on you for a while, because he turned you."

"Mick!" Beth said, looking at him as tough he was being insensitive.

"What?" Mick countered defensively.

"Don't you think his is a bit much for her to take in all at once?"

"Well how else do you break it to someone that they've just become a vampire?"

Rory broke in. "You're joking, right? This is all some sort of practical joke." She looked from Beth to Mick. Neither met her gaze. "You know what? I'm leaving!" With that, she began walking toward the door.

"Wait!" Said Mick, rushing at super-speed to block the door. Rory was startled and let out a scream. She turned and looked around, desperately hoping for some sort of escape. There was no way out other than the door. Mick, seeing that she was panicking, said, "Haven't you been feeling strange this morning? Able to hear and smell things you couldn't before? Impossible things?" Rory paused, thinking of earlier in the bathroom. She looked at Mick, and then at Beth, as though desperately hoping that this was all just some horrible dream. Seeing his chance, Mick added, "Aren't you wondering why there's not a mark on your neck?"

Rory realized at that moment that he was right. She was utterly terrified and confused, and, she noticed, she could hear the sound of a heartbeat. It rang loudly in her ears, and she found herself eagerly anticipating every beat. She felt an unquenchable thirst. Looking back and forth from Mick to Beth, she stood there. Mick decided it was safe to step away from the door, and opened the fridge, pouring a thick, red substance into a cup. "Here, drink this." He said as he handed it to Rory, who stared at it. It smelled appetizing. She looked at Mick once more before drinking. The intense thirst she only just realized she'd felt went away the moment the liquid had touched her lips. She drank the whole glass down in a few gulps. Still tasting the sweet texture and slightly coppery taste of whatever she had just consumed in her mouth, she handed the empty glass back to Mick.

"What was that?" She asked. Mick hesitated for a moment before replying.

"Blood."

"What?!" Rory asked, looking horrified at the thought. Mick let out a breath.

"That's part of the package deal. You need it to survive."

Rory stared, still unbelieving. It had to be a dream. Any moment now, she would wake up in her apartment with a nasty hangover, with Lucky meowing in her ear to get up and feed him. She sank down, feeling weak, into a nearby chair, staring into space. This wasn't happening. This couldn't possibly be happening.

As she sat there, numb, Mick spent the afternoon explaining to Rory the ins and outs of being a vampire; the heightened senses, the need for blood, the fact that too much direct sunlight was harmful, while Beth, who had taken the day off from BuzzWire, sat and added encouragement. Rory just sat there, trying to wrap her mind around it all, part of her still not believing. But she wasn't waking up. And as the day wore on, her hope that it was all just a dream faded, and she was left with the cold, hard reality that she was a vampire.

AN: I realize that Rory acceped the fact that she was a vampire rather quickly, but I needed it that way so I could continue with my storyline. Bear with me. I'll try to write the next chapter ASAP. And hopefully it'll be a bit longer. Thanks for reading. Luvz, Cat.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Moonlight, anything that occurs in this fanfic from the show, or any of its characters. I do, however, own this plot. Yayz!

It had taken much convincing for Rory to accept the fact that she was now a vampire, but she had no choice but to accept it. It was almost ten o'clock at night now; she had spent the day listening to Mick talk about vampirism and how it would affect her. She had barely uttered a word since collapsing into the chair earlier, and now that Mick had finished talking, she found she had many questions.

"But…" she asked, still grappling with the idea of the whole situation, "why? Why _me_? Of all the people this could have happened to, of all the people he had to choose from, why _me_?"

Mick was silent for a moment before answering. "I don't know. Maybe you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Maybe he saw you and took a liking to you. Maybe he'd been following you for a while. Vamps have all kinds of different reasons for turning people. If it wasn't you, it would have been someone else." Mick paused for a moment. "When I was turned-" he hesitated, then continued, "it was against my will as well. I never wanted this; it was thrust on me. So I know where you're coming from. But you just have to come to terms with it. It's been decades for me, and I still haven't completely come to terms with it."

"But there has to be a way back." Rory said, "There has to be some sort of cure. There just has to be!"

"There isn't." Mick said, looking at her with pity. He'd been where she was before. There was part of him that was still there, that hoped upon hope that one day he might be normal again. But he knew better. "Do you think that if there was, I'd still be a vampire?"

They were both silent for a while, and Beth, who had been sitting and listening, felt awkward. She looked for a minute as though she were about to say something, then shut her mouth, unsure of how best to start conversation again. The silence lasted several more minutes before Mick finally spoke.

"You should say here tonight, where I can keep an eye on you. It's gonna take you a while to get used to everything that's happening, so you should stay with me until you get the hang of things."

"Look, I appreciate the offer, but-"

"But nothing. You're gonna need help adjusting, and I can help you. Anyways, you need to stay where there's a blood supply so you're not tempted to feed off people."

"I just want to go home. Besides, I can't leave my cat alone like that."

"You have a cat?" Mick enquired.

"Yeah…" Rory replied, "What's so shocking about that?"

"Nothing." Mick said, "But you're gonna have to get rid of it."

"What?! No!" Protested Rory, "What's so wrong with me having a cat?"

"You're a vampire!" Mick said, trying to make her see. "Vamps can't be trusted with pets. One minute they're your best friend, the next they're a midnight snack."

"The cat came long before I became a vampire. The cat stays." Rory said with a tone of finality. Mick was becoming aggravated with her stubbornness, but at the same time, she was rather entertaining, as she reminded Mick so much of Beth. Suddenly remembering that Beth was there and not wanting to be a bad host, he decided to include her in this conversation.

"What is it with you women being so stubborn?" He remarked offhandedly to her. Beth, being jolted suddenly from her own thoughts, looked up at Mick in surprise. It took a minute for what he had just said to register, and when it had, she replied playfully.

"Guess it's just our nature." Beth grinned, looking steadily into his eyes. She was slightly disappointed when Mick looked away pointedly.

"Why don't you take Rory back to her place to grab some clean clothes and anything else she might need." After a moment's pause, he added, "but leave the cat."

Rory and Beth arrived at Rory's apartment at about ten thirty. As they grabbed an elevator to the third floor, Rory couldn't help but feel uneasy. Beth, however, seemed to notice nothing. They talked all the way up to Rory's apartment door about random things, hobbies, jobs, middle names, etc. When they reached her apartment door, the feeling of uneasiness swept over Rory again, more powerful this time.

"Hey," Rory remarked, trying to keep the fear out of her voice and to sound casual. "Do you feel weird right now? Like, really uneasy?"

"No." Beth said, barely hiding the worry that was creeping into her voice. "Why?"

"No reason." Rory responded.

"Look," Beth said, "what happened last night was really traumatic. You're probably still shaken up about it. It's perfectly normal to be afraid after something like that happened."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Rory said, trying to convince herself that that was what she was feeling. Yet she couldn't seem to shake the feeling that they were being watched. Rory inserted the key in the lock and opened the door. "Sorry about the mess." She said, stepping over two or three boxes while simultaneously flipping the light switch on the wall. Beth stepped inside too and looked around. Everywhere there were clothes and books and boxes lying around. Beth smiled. It reminded her of her college dorm room when she had been in school.

"It's okay." Beth answered, giving Rory a reassuring smile. "I'm a reporter. I _live_ chaos."

Rory and Beth shared a laugh. It was the first time all day that Rory actually felt like smiling. She had been so tense and utterly confused and terrified that this single moment of laughter was a welcome respite. After a moment, Rory set to work shoving clothes from inside a large white dresser into a duffel bag. Hearing the sound, a black cat came running into the living room and jumped eagerly onto the arm of the sofa. He brushed up against her hand and purred. Beth smiled and scooped the animal up in her arms.

"This is your cat?" She asked, stroking his head while he purred affectionately.

"Yeah," Rory replied with a grin. "That's Lucky."

"Bit of an ironic name, don't you think?" Beth asked with a little laugh.

"There's a stigma against black cats, and I don't agree with it." Replied Rory, who giggled a little herself. When she had finished packing her duffel bag, she opened a can of food and put some water down for him. "That should be enough to last him until tomorrow." She said, going to take Lucky from Beth's arms. She was shocked when Lucky, who absolutely adored her, hissed and scratched at her. She withdrew her hands, looking hurt at the rejection. Beth looked visibly upset as well. "He doesn't recognize me now." Rory said, on the verge of tears. "I guess I really am a monster." She turned away so that Beth wouldn't see the tears that now flowed from her eyes.

"No, you're not." Beth assured her, and though she barely knew Rory, she wrapped her arms around her in a comforting hug. Rory cried for a while, and Beth reassured her.

Rory finally sniffed, wiped her eyes, and said, "We'd better get going." She grabbed her duffel bag and house key, and as she walked out the door, she turned to Beth. "Thanks. For everything. I know you barely know me, but you've really helped me out a lot."

"It's no problem." Beth replied, smiling. Suddenly, as she left Rory's apartment, she began to feel uneasy as well. It was as if she had stepped into a completely different world, one that was cold and fearful. She turned to Rory, who had the same uneasy expression on her face.

"You feel it too, don't you?" Rory asked, seeing the fearful look in Beth's eyes. Beth nodded. Rory quickly locked the door and began quickly toward the elevator. Beth followed, looking around her as they went. Rory stopped mid stride, and Bet ran into her. Rory smelled that same unfamiliar scent that she had smelled on her clothes that morning, the one that hung thickly in the air in Mick's apartment. She looked around her, realizing that the hallway was dark and full of shadows.

" Come out, come out, wherever you are." A voice called menacingly from the shadows. Rory felt her blood run cold as she realized that she recognized the voice. She began to experience more flashbacks from the night before. Frozen with fear, she stood rooted to the spot as the owner of the voice stepped out from the shadows. "Hello Rory. I was just in the neighbourhood and thought I'd stop by and see how you were doing. And I see you've brought a friend to join in on the fun."

Beth's eyes widened as her breath caught in her throat. She had to fight to get the word out, but when it left her throat it came out as a scream. "RUN!"

With that, Rory was jarred from her fearful state and found herself running. She outran Beth and realized only when she reached the end of the hall that Beth had fallen behind. She turned back to see Beth, still running, with her phone in her hand.

Beth managed to find a number on speed dial and call, all the while still running.

Jeff waited for a minute before pursuing. He loved it when they ran. The thrill of the chase was what he lived for. In seconds flat he had caught up to the blond and knocked her to the ground, knocking her cell phone from her hand.

Beth had dialed the number and heard his voice answer before her phone had been knocked from her hand. "MICK, HELP!" was all she had time to scream before she felt the fangs of the man who had pinned her to the ground pierce her neck.

Rory stood, transfixed by fear, watching.

Mick, who had been working in his office, ran to get the phone. Seeing on the Caller ID that it was Beth, he answered immediately. On the other end of the line, he heard her voice scream. "MICK, HELP!" He dropped the phone immediately, feeling panic rising in his stomach. Within seconds, he was out the door and on his way, having found out from Rory her address before she and Beth had left.

Rory was paralyzed by some invisible force. Try as she might, she wasn't able to move, and was forced to stand by and watch as her attacker now drained her newfound friend of blood. She smelled a familiar smell in the air, and the next minute Mick appeared beside her.

Beth was now nearly unconscious, and after he had taken everything in, Mick rushed at the vampire and threw him into a wall. He then ran over to Beth, who was lying facedown on the floor, and turned her over. He looked into her eyes, realizing in this moment how much he truly loved this woman, and felt a crippling fear at the idea that he could lose her. He looked up at Rory, who was still frozen in place.

"RORY!" He yelled, getting her attention. Rory suddenly found that she was able to move. "GET BETH TO A HOSPITAL. NOW!"

"MICK, BEHIND YOU!" Rory shouted, as Jeff lunged at his new competitor.

"GO!" Shouted Mick to Rory, while attempting to fight the unknown vampire off. With lightning speed, Rory grabbed Beth and ran out of the apartment. Within three minutes they were in front of the Emergency entrance. Rory rushed Beth inside, praying to god that she wouldn't die.

Mick watched out of the corner of his eye as Rory carried Beth to safety. As soon as Rory and Beth were gone, he lost what little composure he had maintained up to this point. There was a window at the end of the hall, facing the street West of the building. Mick grabbed hold of the unknown vamp's black trench coat and, with his vampire strength and speed, picked him up and ran him through the window, shattering the glass all over the place. Mick watched from inside as the vamp fell three storeys to the ground below. After remaining on the ground for a few moments, the vamp got up, brushed himself off, and ran off into the night. Mick wanted more than anything to chase him down and kill him with his bare hands, but he knew that even more, he had to get to the hospital and see what was happening with Beth. Taking one last look at the ground below, he ran with super-speed to the nearest hospital, where he knew Rory would have taken her.

AN: Yes, I know. I truly am evil. But I just can't help it. I love the cliffies. Not so much when I'm the one reading the story, but definitely when I'm the one writing it. So enjoy, and thanks to all of you fantastic readers out there who continue to support me. Oh and, **wink wink, nudge nudge**, it may help me to update if I get some awesome reviews. Again, thank you so much for reading and for your continued support.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Moonlight, anything that occurs in this fanfic from the show, or any of its characters. I do, however, own this plot. Yayz!

AN: Sorry for the recent lack of updates…I got seriously backed up with several homework assignments, to the point where I've had to pull quite a few all-nighters. By the grace of God, however, there is such a thing as snow days. To my extreme delight, Ontario was recently pounded with one hell of a snowstorm, and I was left with an entire day to kill. I should be working on a major assignment right now, but I decided that first I owed it to my amazing readers, who have waited so patiently, (or maybe not so patiently) to update. Besides, it's waaay too early in the morning to do any work. So here it finally is, and thank you again for being such awesome readers!

Mick and Rory had been waiting silently in the waiting room for the past four hours. Mick had been surprised to find that, upon entering the doors of the hospital, his cell phone went off. It was the hospital trying to contact him. Beth had recently changed her emergency contacts list, so that Mick was now at the top. This made Mick feel even worse about the whole situation.

It had been four hours since Beth had been wheeled into emergency surgery to repair her punctured caroted artery. There had been little time for explanations concerning what had happened, so, thankfully, Rory did not have to try to explain. Upon wheeling her into the OR, the surgeon had remarked that it was extremely lucky Beth had gotten there in time. A few seconds more and she would have been beyond saving.

So there sat Rory and Mick, neither talking or even looking at one another. Each was lost in their own thoughts. They didn't know whether to interpret the extensive time it was taking them to do the surgery as a good sign or a bad one. Rory couldn't help blaming herself. Jeff had attacked Beth because of her. Clearly, he had been stalking her for a while now. If she had just gone to her apartment alone, or asked Mick to come with her instead, this wouldn't have happened. If she hadn't panicked and froze, she might have been able to stop him from attacking Beth. Jeff had been after _her_. It was all her fault.

Mick sat in the seat beside her, staring at his own hands, also lost in thought. There was a part of him that wanted to blame Rory, who had marched into the picture and brought with her this vampiric creep, but he didn't. He couldn't. It wasn't her fault. There was no way she could have predicted the danger that lay waiting for her to return to her apartment. And besides, he was the one that had suggested that Beth accompany her. So, as usual when something bad happened to Beth, it was his fault. It had been his fault when Coraline had kidnapped her as a child. It had been his fault when he had bitten her, despite the fact that she was a willing participant. It had been his fault every time she'd put herself in danger during an investigation which had unwittingly led her deeper into the vampiric underworld. It was his fault now, when she hung somewhere between life and death. He had sent her. It was all his fault.

Growing tired of waiting, Mick stood up and began to pace the waiting room area. He strained with his vampiric ear to try to make out the sound of Beth's heartbeat. It was, however, impossible. There were simply far too many people, too many heartbeats, to be able to definitively distinguish hers. He felt helpless for the first time in as long as he could remember. Being a vampire meant that he could do just about anything. But he could do nothing when it came to Beth's life. Her fate lay in the hands of others for the first time since that fateful night when he'd rescued her from Coraline, and it drove him insane knowing that there was nothing for him to do but to sit back and watch as she fought for her very life.

Realizing that Mick was lost in his own thoughts and knowing that he wouldn't notice the fact that she had gone for a long time, Rory snuck out. She couldn't stand waiting around, especially because she felt infinitely guilty about the whole situation. She couldn't help but think that Mick blamed her, and she couldn't blame him for it. She blamed herself. She walked quickly and quietly out of the waiting room and, with one last glance back at Mick, who continued to pace the floor, a distracted expression on his face, she left. As soon as she was around the corner and out of the sight of prying eyes, Rory set off running at super-speed. She had no idea where she was going, and, quite frankly, she didn't care. She just picked a direction and started running. She ran for a while, not wanting to slow down or stop, because running freed her mind. She was escaping it all, if only for a short while. It began to rain, and as she rushed along the feeling of the pouring rain on her face was amazing. She had never experienced rain like this before. With her vampire-heightened senses, she took note of every cool drop hitting her body, mentally tracing its path over her own skin. She felt, for the first time since yesterday morning, almost at peace.

She finally came to a stop when she reached the Hollywood sign. She wasn't exactly sure how long she'd been running or how far she'd run, but she did know that she had come a long way. She climbed up to the first "O" and sat inside of if, her legs hanging over the edge. She had always been terrified of heights, but secretly being up high had always thrilled her. Not to mention, being a vampire meant that if she fell, she couldn't get hurt. She sat there, the night wind gently blowing in her face, and instantly everything that had happened came flooding to the forefront of her mind. She sat there in the rain, thinking, for a long time…

Mick looked up at the clock to see that it read 3:30 a.m. It had been five hours since Beth had been wheeled into surgery. He heard footsteps coming up behind him and turned to see the doctor who had wheeled Beth into surgery. Concerned, and clearly showing his concern in his face, he quickly approached the doctor. Mick couldn't quite read the doctor's expression, and Mick was unable to sense any indicative emotion.

"Mick St. John?" The doctor asked.

"Yeah," Mick said breathlessly, "Is Beth okay?"

"There was some difficulty during the procedure," The doctor said. Mick's breath caught in his chest. "but she came through it alright." Mick breathed out a sigh, relief coursing through him, making him realize how utterly exhausted he was.

"Can I see her?" He asked immediately.

"She's in recovery. She's just coming out of anesthetic. You were the first person she asked for."

Mick turned to go back to Rory and tell her what the surgeon had said. It was only then that he noticed she was gone. He looked wildly around the waiting room and soon realized that she wasn't there. He breathed a heavy sigh, cursing himself for having let her out of his sight, but resigned himself to the fact that if she wanted to run off, he couldn't stop her. Turning back to the surgeon, Mick followed him into the recovery room where Beth was waiting for him…

Beth opened her eyes, unsure of where she was and how she'd gotten there. She had blacked out shortly after Mick had shown up. The only thing she remembered having happened before everything had gone black was lying face-down on the floor, Mick turning her over, and the tormented, terrified look in his eyes as he stared into hers.

She realized that she was in a bed. A warm bed with white sheets and bars on either side. The walls of the room were a pale blue. She reached up to feel a thick, heavy bandage on the left side of her neck, and realized when se did so that she had an IV line was sticking out of the back of her hand. She realized that there was also another slightly higher up on her arm. The first contained a clear liquid, while the second contained a thick, dark, red fluid. She realized immediately that it was a bag of blood. She was being given a blood transfusion. After about ten minutes of taking in her surroundings, a doctor entered the room. He was pleased to see that she was awake.

"Mick St. John." She said weakly, "Can I see Mick St. John?"

The doctor agreed and hurried out of the room. Beth sat for a few minutes waiting, all the while remembering more and more of what had happened earlier that night. She remembered the attack, the look of insanity gleaming in her attacker's eye. She remembered the terrifying look of his face, white eyes and elongated canine teeth. She wasn't scared of Mick when his face changed, when he showed his vampiric side. Her attacker had been terrifying. But then, she trusted Mick. She always had. He protected her, was her guardian angel. Tonight had been no different when he had come to her rescue.

The doctor came back into the room, followed by Mick. Beth noted that he looked terrified, barely concealing his concern. "Hey," Beth said weakly, as Mick sat down in the chair beside the bed.

"Hey." Mick replied, pasting on a fake smile that Beth saw right through. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I just had my neck sliced open, oddly enough." She replied. Her sarcasm had its intended effect, for Mick was smiling in earnest now. "Have you been waiting here all this time?" She asked, on a more serious note.

"Well…" Mick began but, looking in her eyes, opted for the truth. "Yeah."

Beth smiled and, remembering Rory, asked, "So how's Rory doing? Is she okay?"

"Yeah, she's fine." Mick said. "She was here for a while too, but she ran off somewhere while I was distracted." He said, "I think she blames herself."

"She shouldn't." Beth said, slightly distressed.

"No, you're right." Mick said, looking down at the floor and feeling ashamed. "It was my fault."

Beth felt her heart break for him. She hated to see him like this. She raised the back of her hospital bed with the remote so that she was sitting upright. She reached out with her right hand and placed in on the side of his face, stroking it before placing it under his chin and raising his face so that his eyes met hers. "It's not your fault, either. You need to stop blaming yourself for everything bad that happens to me."

"But I asked you to go." He said, looking at her with sad, ashamed eyes.

"Mick, I _wanted_ to go. You didn't twist my arm behind my back and force me. You didn't know what was going to happen-"

"But I should have!" Mick said somewhat forcefully, standing up. "I put you in danger without thinking. I..I-" he stopped, unable to finish. He couldn't admit it. He couldn't say it, not simply for his own sake, but for hers as well. It would only complicate matters.

"You…what?" Beth asked. Her breath had caught in her chest at what he had begun to say. She needed him to finish, needed to hear it. Mick looked into her eyes, cursing himself the moment he did so because he couldn't deny the pleading look in her brilliant blue eyes that begged him to continue.

"I almost lost you." He said weakly, sinking into the chair once more. Beth, mustering up what little strength she had within her, leaned forward, took his face in both hands, and kissed him, letting forth all of the pent-up passion within her. For a moment, Mick resisted, but then became caught up in the passion and no longer denied her. After a moment, he broke away, whispering "I don't deserve you," before he was once more caught in a passionate kiss from Beth.

AN: Okay, so I thought that, because you have all waited so patiently, you deserve a little reward for your efforts. Thus, I added in a Mick/Beth moment. I actually must say that I've taken this story in a completely different direction than I originally intended, but as I write things as they come to me, such things are par for the course. Well, I hope you've all enjoyed, and I'll try to update more often, though I can't promise anything. Now, I must grudgingly begin to write my English paper (due tomorrow). Thanks for all the amazing support, and as an extra thank-you, no evil cliffie! (For this chapter, anyway) **laughs evilly, then runs and hides**. Oh and, **wink wink, nudge nudge**, it may help me to update if I get some awesome reviews. Again, thank you so much for reading and for your continued support. Oh, and I fixed an error in chapter three. Mick hasn't been a vampire for 85 years, he's been alive for 85 years. My mistake!

Luvz, Cat.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Moonlight, anything that occurs in this fanfic from the show, or any of its characters. I do, however, own this plot. Yayz!

AN: Okay, so now that I'm pretty well caught up with my assignments, I plan to update somewhat more regularly. Please don't be disappointed, though, if updates end up being just as sporadic as they already are. Know that I'm trying my best to updating faster, ad that I spend the better part of my classes daydreaming about new plot twists and ideas for the story (who needs math anyway?) Updating regularly may be hard for me though, because, although I am seriously lacking in a life, something always seems to com up that ends up impeding my progress because I'm short for time (go figure!) Anyway, just wanted to let you all know that I'm doing my best to update as often as possible and to stick with my story, because generally I have a track record of not updating for a long time, and then simply giving up altogether because I forget where I'm going with the pot and my interests have moved on. I figure that as long as I keep up with my updating, then I won't lose interest. Anyway, here's the next chapter, I hope you enjoy it, and I hope you don't become discouraged and stop reading because of my bad track record. If you amazing readers keep reviewing, then I'll be compelled to keep writing, so I look forward to more reviews. Oh, and just so you all know, this chapter was inspired by Faber Drive's song _Tongue Tied. _Well, enough of my incessant speech. Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

Seth sat in his apartment on the ragged old black couch he'd owned for years. He was watching "Live Free or Die Hard" with his girlfriend of two years, Hanna. Although Hanna was thoroughly enjoying the movie, Seth found that his mind was elsewhere, and although he was staring intensely at the TV screen, none of what was happening seemed to register in his brain. He found himself thinking about the girl he'd rescued the night before. No matter what he did, ultimately his thoughts would settle on her. There had just been something about her face that he couldn't get out of his mind.

Of course, he hadn't told Hanna anything of what had happened last night for several reasons. Firstly, he was still unsure about what he'd seen himself. He could have sworn that the attacker had looked like something out of a horror movie, with white, cloudy eyes and overlong canine teeth, like fangs. He had also moved faster than any human being Seth had ever seen. But it couldn't be. Secondly, Seth knew that Hannah wouldn't believe him. He wouldn't have believed it himself if he didn't have the bloodstained clothes to prove that he hadn't just been dreaming.

"…Seth!" Hanna said sharply, drawing him from his reverie.

"Hm? What?" He said distractedly. Finally, he was able to pull himself back to reality and to focus on his surroundings.

"I asked you to pass the popcorn." Hanna answered, looking at him with a worried expression on her face. "Are you okay? It's just…you've been really distant today. Is there anything you need to talk about?"

"No, of course not. I'm fine." Seth assured his girlfriend with a small smile. He passed her the popcorn before going back to his thoughts. Try as he might, he couldn't stop thinking about the mysterious girl. He felt guilty, thinking about some other girl while his girlfriend sat snuggled up to him, but…he just couldn't stop. Needing to sort out his thoughts, Seth decided he needed to go for a walk. "You know what? All of a sudden, I find that I'm really hungry. I'm going out to grab a sub or something. You want anything?"

"No, I'm fine thanks sweetie. But do you want me to come with you?" She asked, standing up and reaching for her coat.

"No! I mean, uh, it's okay. You should sit and watch your movie. I know you've wanted to see it for a while now." Seth answered. He realized within seconds of his mistake that he'd answered a bit too forcefully, and a bit too quickly as well. He saw the hurt register in Hanna's face.

"Oh, I get it." She said quietly in a calm voice, although Seth could see that she was trying to keep her voice steady. "You need to get away from _me_." She stared at him for a few seconds before adding, "Well fine, Seth. Go ahead. Hope you enjoy sleeping alone tonight!"

With that, she grabbed the her stuff and, walking around the couch and past Seth without so much as a glance back at him, she left, slamming the door behind her.

"Hanna, WAIT!" Seth called after he, following her out into the hallway. "Hanna, I didn't mean it that way!"

Hanna didn't answer as she walked into the elevator at the end of the hall, pushed the button, and was obscured by the closing of the elevator doors.

"FUCK!" He yelled, turning and punching the wall. He immediately regretted it, feeling a throbbing pain shoot up his hand. Cursing again, this time under his breath, he went back into his apartment, grabbed his jacket and keys and, after catching the next elevator, was on his way out. He wasn't exactly sure where he planned to go, but he knew he had to walk. The fresh air and exercise would clear his head, give him a chance to sort through everything that was bothering him…

Beth and Mick had been kissing passionately for what had seemed like an eternity. Mick, finally gathering himself together, broke the blissful embrace. Exhausted, having just come out of surgery and immediately afterward engaged in a tongue-wrestling match with Mick, Beth fell back on her bed, a slightly dazed smile on her face. True, the anesthetic still hadn't quite worn off yet, but she was lucid enough that she could tell what was going on. Mick stood up and turned to look out the window, preparing himself for what he had to do. He'd slipped up, allowed his feelings for Beth to influence his actions, rather than his brain. He hated the fact that he had to do this, but he knew he had to. Mentally prepared, he turned back to Beth, a clear, pained expression on his face.

Beth saw his expression and knew it didn't bode well. She secretly knew what was coming, and mentally kicked herself for believing for one minute that Mick had finally given in to her.

"Beth…" Mick began, trying to let her down easy.

"Just stop, Mick, okay? Don't bother." She turned to face the wall in the opposite direction from Mick, attempting to hide her tears from him. Mick, however, could sense her anguish and smell the saltiness of her tears in the air, and it made his heart break. He didn't want to have to refuse her. In any other time, in any other place, under any other circumstances, he wouldn't 't have. But this was the time. This was the place. These were the circumstances. He knew full well why it could never be. He wanted it to be, more than Beth could ever possibly understand. He was devoted to her, as much as he hated having to admit it to himself. Tonight had shown him more clearly than ever before. He loved her, would gladly die for her, and would do anything and everything in his power to protect her. Even if it meant having to protect her from himself.

"Beth…There are about a million reasons why it could never work…" Mick began, trying to come up with the right words. If only he could make her understand, to see it from his point of view. He continued to struggle with words until Beth interrupted his train of thought.

"Yes Mick, I know. You must have told me every goddamn reason in the book of why it could never work. But I've never once heard you give me a single reason why it _could_. God knows there are quite a few. But you're not willing to accept the fact that it _could_ work." She had said all of this with increasing volume, despite the pain it caused in her neck. Then, quite suddenly and dramatically, she reverted back to her quite, almost inaudible voice. "You're not willing to accept me."

Mick was becoming frustrated now. No matter how many times he explained it to her, how hard he tried to make her see, she refused to see it from his point of view. "It's not that simple, Beth!" He said, raising his voice slightly.

"How?" Beth argued, a desperation making itself present in her voice. "Tell me how it's not that simple, Mick."

"I've tried!" He said angrily, beginning to pace the room. "But you never _listen_! You're so good at asking the questions, Beth, but you do a really shitty job of listening for the answers!" He looked at her, exasperated. How could he ever possibly make her see?

"What answers, Mick? YOU NEVER GIVE ME ANY!" She yelled, instantly regretting it. Her throat hurt more than ever, but the burning anger in the pit of her stomach that had replaced the hurt was still blazing as fiercely as ever. "You try to feed me some bullshit line about reasons and change subjects whenever I get too close to you. It's like we're forever taking one step forward and two steps back. We're getting nowhere, Mick. I want to know you, to become part of your world, but for God's sake, you have to let me in!"

"Beth, I'm trying to _protect_ you. You thin you want to be involved in my life in my world, but you don't. And I don't want you to. Beth, I've put you in so much danger already. By just being associated with you, I've dragged you into a world I never wanted you to see. A world I tried so hard to protect you from after you were kidnapped. Yet you seem quite content to just rush headlong into it, throwing yourself repeatedly in harm's way. I can't stand by and let you do that, Beth." He finished, brushing some of her beautiful golden locks behind her ear. "Besides, what about Josh? You've got a perfectly good, respectable man who loves you like crazy and treats you right. Why are you so insistent on giving all of that up?"

"Because it's not what I want." Beth said, looking meaningfully into his eyes. "I'm a big girl, and I can decide for myself what I need. I don't need you to try and do it for me. And what I need, Mick St. John, is you."

"Beth," he began with a heavy heart. He hated having to say this. What he hated even more was knowing that he didn't mean it. But he'd rather have her alive, safe, and full of hatred for him than dead and gone forever while madly in love with him. He knew he could only protect her to an extent, and if he allowed her to become entangled in his world, sooner or later something would happen to her, and it would be because of him. Tonight was a perfect example of that. "It was wrong for me to let you kiss me. It was a mistake. Things between us can only end badly."

With that, he got up, put his jacket on, and walked out of the room, not looking back at Beth, who was crying. He was trying to fight back his own looming tears.

Rory had climbed down from the Hollywood sign, and had decided that it was about time for her to head back to the hospital. She needed to go and find out what had happened to Beth, and although she had prolonged the moment this long, she needed to know, and her need to know overpowered the dread she felt at the idea of returning to the hospital. She reached the end of a street and, picking up the scent of what she assumed was a human, she slowed to a walk. She recognized the smell, and as she passed the man that it belonged to, she heard him mumbling to himself. The voice sounded familiar too, as though she had heard him and smelled him from somewhere in a dream. She looked back over her shoulder at him as she reached the end of the street and, with one last glance back at him, she turned the corner and reverted to super-speed.

Seth walked down the empty street, mumbling to himself. Hanna was mad at him. He hated when she was pissed at him. He couldn't help but admit to himself as he walked that this blowup had been a long time coming. For a while now, maybe a few months or so, there had been a certain amount of tension growing between them. Him becoming preoccupied with the idea of the mystery girl he'd rescued was just the icing on the cake. It had been the match that had lit the deadly inferno. He also couldn't help but to admit to himself that he was becoming obsessed with the girl he'd rescued. He wasn't sure why, but she wouldn't leave his mind. He was somehow fascinated with her. A girl he'd never met or talked to.

He was so busy mumbling to himself that he almost bumped into someone passing by him, swerving just in time to avoid them. He had stolen a quick glance at the woman's face before reverting his eyes back to the ground. After he had gone a few more steps, he stopped in his tracks. What he had seen had taken a moment to do so, but it had finally registered in his mind. He had just passed _her_. The mystery girl. He turned around and, as fast as his legs would possibly carry him, he ran back. He covered the distance of the short street in just under a minute and, coming to the corner, rounded it. He stopped dead in his tracks. The extensive street stretched on for a long way, and he had only passed her a minute ago. He ran partway up the street and back again, looking for some sign of her. There was no possible way she could have just disappeared in that short amount of time, without a trace. It was just impossible. Then again, in the last 24 hours, the impossible was beginning to become the ordinary. He wasn't sure whether or not to chalk the whole experience up to imagination and over exhaustion (he hadn't slept well the night before due to continual nightmares) or to believe his eyes and ignore his brain. Confused more than ever, Seth continued walking in the direction he had been originally, once again muttering to himself as he went.

AN: Sorry about the whole Mick/Beth argument. It was too early in the plot for them to get together. But don't worry; they'll have awesome make-up sex later. (Make-up as in me making up to you for crushing your souls like the evil tormentor I am.) Anyway, please keep up with the amazing reviews, (they inspire me) and thank you for putting up with my continual insane plot twists and jerking you around as the reader (I'm seriously considering becoming a Hollywood writer, as they're always jerking people around with their evil multi-part episodes and cliffhangers, and I'm pretty good at it ;P) Anyway, please continue to enjoy, and if anyone has any small details they'd like me to work in, just let me know and I'll do my best to try and work them in without changing the plot too much. Oh, and for you Josef fans out there, don't worry; I've come to realize what an amazing character he is and, at the request of one of my readers, am planning to work him in sometime within the next few chapters. Thanks again!

Luvz, Cat.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Moonlight, anything that occurs in this fanfic from the show, or any of its characters. I do, however, own this plot. Yayz!

AN: Okay, so I'm doing my best to try to work in some investigating, seeing as how most, if not all, of what I've produced so far is pure fluff. I also feel that I am not holding true to some of the characters (I'm a perfectionist, what can I say?) So some personalities might change slightly. Anyway, without further ado, enjoy!

Rory arrived back at Mick's apartment sometime around six in the morning. She had arrived back at the hospital to find that Beth had come through the surgery just fine, which was an immense relief to Rory. She had apologized over and over again to Beth, who kept insisting that it wasn't her fault, but Rory could not stop blaming herself.

An hour after Rory had arrived found Beth telling Rory everything about what had happened with Mick. At first, Beth had been hesitant to talk to Rory about such private matters, as she had only known Rory less than 24 hours, but Beth later found that Rory was just one of those trustworthy people that one couldn't help but trust. Rory sat patiently and listened, barely interrupting as Beth told the story. After Beth had finished telling her story, Rory glanced at the clock and realized that it was already quarter to six in the morning. She realized that the sun was already coming up and that she had to get back to Mick's place, because he was probably wondering where she was. She also realized quite suddenly and, to her immense fright, that she felt the same unquenchable, almost painful thirst that had overtaken her this morning. She had tried all night to fight it back, to tell herself she didn't need it. Now, she realized, she had to get back to Mick's, and fast, because she felt the frightening urge to bite anyone in the vicinity. She could feel her fangs begin to elongate. Beth saw what was happening and understood that Rory needed to get back to Mick's apartment and feed as soon as possible, and so she urged Rory to leave. Saying a hasty goodbye to Beth and promising to drop in sometime later that day, Rory left, heading back to Mick's apartment at top speed, thanking God that she didn't run into any passing people on the way.

Rory was thoroughly exhausted and starved to the point of desperation when, around six a.m., she knocked frantically on the door to Mick's apartment. Mick, who had apparently been waiting up for her, answered the door, stepping aside to let her in. Rory collapsed on the sofa, tossing her bag on the floor at her feet. Mick caught a glance at her face and, seeing her clouded over eyes and exposed fangs, knew immediately that she was famished, desperately in need of blood. He mentally kicked himself for having let her run off, for thinking that she would run off anyway and that he couldn't stop her, for not going out and looking for her. He had been so wrapped up in what was happening with Beth, as well as his own emotional response at his shared kiss with Beth, that he had forgotten that Rory, as a newly turned vampire, needed to feed more often than he did, because she needed to replenish the blood supply that had been lost when she had turned. Before she and Beth had left, he had diligently made sure she fed every two to three hours, but after Beth had been attacked, all thought of Rory's needs had left him, as he thought only of Beth. He hated himself for letting his personal feelings get in the way of his obligations as Rory's mentor. Her sire had skipped out on her, and he was the next best thing. He was all she had now to help her adjust to the change, and although he was not her sire and didn't share the same connection with her as her sire did, he was obligated as an older vampire to show her how to survive, to teach her the rules and boundaries, to help her to come to terms. It was his job to be a surrogate sire. He had failed her up to this point, and he hated himself for it. He resolved to be a better mentor from here on in, to focus solely on helping her through the transition from mortal to vamp. He would not fail her again.

He hurried over to his hidden blood cooler, took out a blood bag and, without even bothering to pour it into a glass, he rushed over to where Rory sat on the couch and handed it to her. He watched as she hungrily drank it down, finishing the entire bag in less than five minutes. He handed her another one, and she drank it down almost as fast. After that one was finished, he handed her a third one. She looked at him questioningly and he said, "You need to make up for the feedings you missed during the time you were out." He watched her down the last bag and watched as her face returned to normal, her fangs receding and her eyes returning to their normal, clear blue-green colour.

Rory felt much better after feeding, and when she had finished, she realized for the first time that Mick had positioned himself in a chair across from her, watching her. Rory could tell from his expression that they were about to have a serious conversation. Mick let out a breath before speaking.

"When we had our talk yesterday about vampirism, there were a few things I left out. A few things I forgot to mention. I had meant to finish out conversation and clear things up when you and Beth got back, but clearly things didn't exactly work out as I had planned. And then-" he paused for a minute, "then you ran off. I should have followed you, but I didn't. I figured that you would run off sooner or later, regardless of how closely I watched you. I figured you'd come back when you were ready. I was so wrapped up in my own worries about what was happening with Beth that I wasn't thinking clearly, and I forgot how necessary it was for me to keep an eye on you." He looked down at the floor, clearly ashamed. Without looking up at her, he said, "In your hunger, you could have attacked someone. You could have killed someone. And it would have been on me. It's my responsibility to make sure you know when to eat, before you get to the point where you're desperate enough to attack anything that moves. I don't ever want you to have to know what it feels like to kill a person. I let my own emotions cloud my sense of judgment, and in doing so I failed in my duties as your mentor. I failed _you_. But I won't let it happen again." He finished, finally looking up at her.

"Mick…" Rory began, feeling guilty. She had been the cause of everything that had happened tonight, had allowed it all to happen. "It was my own fault I ran off, my own fault I didn't come back and feed. The truth is, I did feel the hunger…all evening. I only realized how truly profound it was at the hospital, when it started to hurt, and I began to feel as though I wanted to bite anyone close. I…" She paused. "I could hear everybody's heartbeat. I was trying to ignore the hunger, hoping maybe it would go away. I guess part of me is still in denial. I guess maybe part of me hoped that if I didn't feed, I'd realize that maybe I didn't need it, and everything would go back to normal." She sighed. "But I guess that's never going to happen."

"Unfortunately not." Mick said, with a pitying smile. His heart went out to her. He knew exactly what she meant. He'd been where she was before. He knew the feeling of wanting to just ignore it and hope it would go away. But it wouldn't. He'd had to come to terms with it, and so would Rory. They were both silent for a while, each lost in their own thoughts, before Mick finally continued.

"There are some things you need to know now, things I forgot to mention earlier. Firstly, for the next week or so, you're going to have to feed more than you would normally have to. On average, vamps need about a pint of blood a day, but because you're a newly turned vamp, you're going to need about two to three pints per day. This is because your body is trying to replenish the blood supply you lost when you were turned." He paused for a minute before saying, "That's why you were starving when you got back. Normally, you wouldn't be so hungry after such a short period of time, but because you need to replenish your blood supply, your body craves more blood. Secondly, there's something you need to know. When a vamp is sired, there's a bond created between the sire and whoever they've turned." Mick saw that Rory was about to protest, but he continued anyway. "Even though you may not want for the connection to be there, it's there regardless. After I was turned, I didn't want there to be any connection between my sire and myself. But there was." He fell silent, debating whether or not to share any more details. He decided against it and continued. "Normally, the sire is the one who is supposed to teach a newly turned vamp the rules and the ins and outs of vampirism, and to control them. Because your sire is Missing In Action, however, I'm taking over the responsibility. Although the bond between you and I isn't quite the same, I can still, for all intents and purposes, be a surrogate in place of him. You were extremely lucky that you were brought to me immediately after being turned." Mick said, once more falling silent.

"Why?" Rory asked, almost fearing what the answer would be. "What happens to vampires without their sires?"

After a pause, Mick answered. "They turn feral. They go on their instincts and nothing else. They know no rules or boundaries. They kill often, repeatedly, and without conscience. They have no idea how to co-exist in a world with humans and other vamps. In the end, they have to be destroyed, for everyone's safety."

Once again, silence filled the room. Finally, Mick looked over at Rory to see that she looked severely exhausted. Looking at the clock, he realized that it was already seven o'clock in the morning. He realized how tired he was as well, and decided that it was time for both him and Rory to go to sleep.

"There's one other thing we never discussed." Mick said, getting up and motioning for Rory to do the same. Wearily, she followed him.

"And what might that be?" Rory asked.

"Sleeping arrangements." Mick said, reaching the top of the stairs.

"You don't mean to tell me that we _actually_ sleep in coffins, do you?" Rory asked disbelievingly.

"No, of course not." Mick said and, leading her into the bedroom where Rory had awoken this morning. Rory was startled to find that Mick had changed the room around while she had been gone. In place of a bed, there now stood what looked like a giant horizontal refrigerator on legs. "We sleep in freezers." Seeing the look of utter bewilderment on Rory's face, Mick couldn't help but smile, despite everything that had happened up until now.

"You're _joking_, right?" Rory asked, hoping that he would tell her that it was just a joke. She had already had to take in so much that day, she wasn't sure if she could handle any more surprises.

"Nope." Mick replied simply. Still smiling, he explained the purpose of the freezer. "I won't go into specifics, but it has to do with regulating the body temperature while you sleep. It keeps you from going into a fever with hunger, and become delirious, while you sleep. It keeps you from needing to keep getting up to feed. I keep an extra one lying around in case mine breaks down, so you can use it for now." He turned to leave when he stopped suddenly and turned around. "Oh, and I forgot to mention. You're supposed to sleep naked." Rory shot Mick a shocked look. Mick just laughed. "I don't make the rules, I just teach them. You're supposed to sleep naked so the cold can penetrate your body completely. It's the only way your body can rest itself properly. You can try sleeping in your clothes if you want, be my guest. But you'll find it's better to just sleep naked. 'Night." Mick said, chuckling to himself under his breath and closing the door behind him.

Rory sighed, stared at the closed door for a moment after Mick had left and, trusting his better judgment, stripped down completely and climbed into the freezer. No sooner had she laid down and closed the door when she felt the cold penetrating her body. She felt her body relax completely and, feeling completely at ease, allowed her mind to drift off into the blissful blackness that was enveloping her. Within minutes of closing her eyes, she was fast asleep.

In his own room, Mick waited and listened for about ten minutes to make sure that Rory was asleep. He couldn't hear her moving around anywhere so, giving in to his own exhaustion, he took off all of his clothes and climbed into his own freezer. Unlike Rory, however, he remained awake for a long while thinking about everything. He regretted his actions toward Beth. It had hurt like hell to break her heart, but he knew that, for her own safety, he'd had no choice. He would have to content himself with the mere thought of her, and with the thought that he was protecting her. After an hour or so, he finally drifted off to sleep, succumbing to the utter exhaustion caused by the day's events.

AN: Yeah, I know…not a whole lot of progress made with this chapter. But bear with me. Oh, and thanks to a reader who caught my mistake, I've corrected chapter four. I meant to say that they had to fix Beth's _carotid artery_, which is the other main artery in the neck, not her aorta, which is in the chest. Looks like I need to brush up on my anatomy. Anyway, thanks for continuing to read, and I promise, my next chapter will be much more action-oriented. Hope you enjoyed this one anyway. And please continue to read and review…your reviews inspire me!

Luvz, Cat.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Moonlight, anything that occurs in this fanfic from the show, or any of its characters. I do, however, own this plot and any characters I decide to throw in. Yayz!

Rory awoke one morning three weeks after she had been attacked and, climbing out of her freezer and throwing on a t-shirt and a pair of Black silk boxers (she thought boxers were really comfortable) she'd bought for herself last Christmas, went straight to the fridge to pour herself a cup of blood. As she did every morning, she avoided using the bathroom until after she fed. This was because of the first morning she'd awoken after becoming a vamp, when she had been startled to find that, when she glanced into the mirror, her reflection was not her own. Instead, her eyes were met with a pale face, with opaque, milky-white eyes, and long, piercing fangs. She stared straight into the face of a monstrosity. She hated what she had become, hated seeing herself as a monster. For the first week, she had attempted to use the bathroom without looking into the mirror, until eventually she decided that she would stop going in there altogether until after she'd fed, so she wouldn't find herself face-to-face with the monster that lay dormant within.

She was still staying at Mick's apartment for the time being, while Mick's friend Josef, with whom Mick had had several meetings regarding Rory, was having her apartment renovated to suit the needs of a vamp. She had never actually met Josef, but Mick had told her that he was an older vampire who was almost like a guardian for younger vamps in the area. Mick had said he'd introduce her to Josef at some point in the near future, although had not said exactly when.

Rory downed the blood, despising herself for having to consume it and cursing herself for feeling better physically afterward. She felt her fangs retreat back to normal-looking canine teeth, and was positive that at the same time, her eyes were returning to their normal, clear blue-green pigment. He heard movement behind her and, turning around, was startled to find herself face-to-face with Mick. He, too, had just awoken, and his face was transformed into that of the vampire within.

"So." he said, pouring himself some blood and sipping it. He leaned back against the counter, dressed in a pair of pajama pants and a tattered, faded black t-shirt. "I just got off the phone with Josef. He said that your apartment's almost ready. You should be able to go back to it either tonight or tomorrow."

"Really? That's great." Rory smiled, genuinely smiling, for the first time in what felt like an eternity. As much as she appreciated all that Mick had done for her, being her mentor, arranging for the proper modifications to her apartment, letting her stay with him until she had gotten to the point where he felt she could take care of herself, et cetera, she hated feeling as though she were depending on someone. It made her feel as if she were imposing. Although Mick insisted time and time again that it was no problem at all, that she was far from imposing, Rory couldn't help but feel that she was getting in the way of things, even a little.

"Yeah. I know how strange everything must have been for the past few weeks. Now you can go back to something somewhat normal." He smiled at Rory, his face having returned to its normal state. Rory couldn't help but feel as though he had just read her thoughts, and wondered whether or not he actually could, if it came as part of the vamp package deal. "Josef wants me to bring you by your apartment later today so you can take a look at the changes. It'll also give you two a chance to finally get acquainted."

Rory was lost in her thoughts, and it took a moment for her mind to register what Mick had just said. "What? Oh, yeah…sounds great." She plastered a smile on her face before saying, "You know what? I think I might just go and take a shower. You don't mind, do you?"

"Sure. Knock yourself out." He said with a small smile. Rory tossed her cup in the sink and, heading upstairs, grabbed a clean towel, locked the bathroom door behind her, and climbed into the shower. Upon turning on the water, she was greeted by a sudden cold shock that nearly made her scream. She hastily turned the hot water on full, so that her shower became almost scalding. She had always liked her showers so hot, especially when she had something on her mind. On this particular day, she found she had many things on her mind. Her jumbled mess of thoughts just wouldn't stop or even allow themselves to be separated until she stepped in the shower where, amidst the scalding water, they would finally allow her to separate and sort them out.

It had been three weeks since Mick had last talked to Beth. After Rory had hurried off to take a shower, Mick had sat in an armchair in his living room, becoming lost in his own thoughts. After that night at the hospital, after he had once again left Beth hanging, he couldn't bring himself to call her or to go and see her. He had been getting all of his information on what was going on with Beth through Rory, who talked to Beth almost daily. Absent-mindedly, Mick traced the rim of his cup, which was resting on the arm of his chair, with his finger, remembering a conversation he'd had with Rory about five days after Beth had been attacked.

Rory walked through the door at about seven o'clock in the evening. As usual, she found Mick sitting in an armchair, waiting for her to get back. Rory dropped her back by the door, removed her boots and jacket, and poured herself a cup of blood. Then she walked over and sat down on the sofa. Mick was silent as she drank, although he was giving off a definite vibe of impatience and urgency. Setting down her glass on the coffee table, she turned to face Mick, as a signal that she was ready for the interrogation Mick always gave her after she visited Beth.

"So how is she?" He began immediately, urgency clear in his voice.

"She's fine." Rory assured him, noticing the relief that filled his face when she said so. "She's doing really well, in fact. They released her from the hospital today. They said the only reason they kept her this long was to ensure that there were no complications after the surgery, and because they wanted to make sure she didn't develop an infection. They said her energy levels were great, considering that just five days ago she was almost dead."

"That's good to hear." Mick said, sitting back in his chair, clearly relaxing. His look of worry was immediately replaced with a look of deep sorrow. Rory picked up on this immediately and continued with her report.

"She talked about you a lot." She said, noticing that Mick wouldn't look at her. "She was wondering how you were. If you were still blaming yourself." Rory paused, gauging Mick's reaction, before continuing. "I think she was wondering why you hadn't come to visit her since Sunday." Mick said nothing. His expression changed only slightly, betraying yet a deeper sense of shame and sorrow. Rory wasn't sure if she should say what she was thinking, and after a moment of silent debate, decided she should. "It's obvious she misses you. She's so obviously in love with you. And it's so obvious you're madly in love with her too. What I don't understand is why you keep denying yourself this. Why you keep denying her this."

Mick looked up at her, looking with a very serious expression into her face. "Because I'm a monster." He said quietly. "Because all of this is all my fault. Because I'm just fooling myself if I think that it could ever possibly work between us. Because I only complicate her life and put her in danger. But most of all, because I love her. I don't want to subject her to the same hell I have to live with for the rest of eternity, and I don't want to lose her because I was stupid and selfish. She's almost died more than once because of me. Next time she might not be lucky enough to walk away."

He got up and began pacing the floor. He was obviously hurting bad, and nothing Rory could do or say could change that. This made Rory miserable. Mick was her friend, one of her only friends since she'd been turned less than one short week ago, and seeing him like this, pining over Beth was heartbreaking. Especially since she had just come from watching Beth pine over Mick. It was clear that the argument that had stopped communications between them had not changed the way they felt about one another. It was obvious that they were mad for each other, and couldn't stand to live without one another.

"Anything else?" Mick asked, breaking the silence that had lasted for nearly five minutes.

"No," Rory sighed, then added, "but I would suggest you call and talk to Beth. It's obvious she really misses you. And it's obvious that you really miss her. You two need to talk thing out, because you're both miserable. Not to mention," she added with a small smile, "I'm tired of being the messenger."

With that, Rory picked up her bag and stalked off into her temporary room to go and get some sleep. Mick thought about what she said. As much as he hated to admit it, she was right. He knew the only reason Beth hadn't called him was that she knew he needed time. He missed the sound of her voice, the way he felt when he was around her. He missed her. Somewhat begrudgingly, he picked up his home phone and hit the speed dial button under which her cell phone number was saved. It rang only once before Beth answered. Clearly, she had seen that it was his number on her caller ID.

"Hello?" She said, almost urgently. Mick sighed, and, knowing he would regret it later, hung up.

She hadn't tried to call him back. She hadn't even stopped by his apartment to try and coax him into opening the door to her. She'd just left him be. Part of him wished she wouldn't, wished that she would come after him, knowing full well that he couldn't resist her. But part of him thanked her for making it slightly easier for him to phase himself out of her life. It was for the best, he thought miserably to himself…

Seth had spent three long, sleepless weeks thinking about her. The mystery girl. She was constantly on his mind, especially since, only three weeks ago, the night after he had found her near-death on the sidewalk, he thought he'd seen her pass him on the street. It was impossible, though. It must have been his imagination. There was no way anyone who had suffered such extensive injuries could have been able to get up and walk around as though nothing had even happened. And besides, he had no idea if she was even still alive. With the extent of her injuries, she could easily have bled to death. This prospect was devastating and haunting. Haunting like the girl that would not leave his dreams, nor his every waking thought.

He couldn't get the girl off his mind. This was especially startling considering he didn't even know her name. Then again, it wasn't easy to forget a girl you'd rescued from some random psycho, he thought.

She had been on his mind so much lately, in fact, that he had had a falling-out with Hanna and had been surprised to hear himself say that it was over. It wasn't totally because of the mystery girl that he'd ended things with Hanna, though; his and Hanna's relationship had already been strained and it was a long time coming. But still, he couldn't understand the power this girl held over his thoughts. He was beginning to scare even himself a little with his obsession over this girl.

It was Saturday morning, and Seth found himself on his way to the apartment of Mick St. John, the private detective, where he'd left the girl just three weeks earlier. It was hard to believe it had only been three weeks. It felt like so much longer…

Seth left the building's elevator, stepping out into the hallway. He took a deep breath as he approached the door, debating with himself whether or not he should be doing this. For all he knew, the girl was recuperating from her injuries in some hospital somewhere. Or worse. But he had to know. He knew he would never be at peace until he knew what had happened to her. Even if it meant discovering that she was long dead. Summoning up all of his strength, he knocked on the door. He waited impatiently, hearing someone moving behind it, all the while feeling fear and anticipation that bubbled up inside his stomach, making him feel as though he were about to vomit. He passed the slow seconds mentally preparing himself for what might come…

Hearing a knock on the door, Mick was jerked from his thoughts. He arose from his seat; walking over to the monitor he had mounted to the wall, he looked to see who was behind it. Mick was somewhat surprised and a little relieved to see that it was not Beth, whom he had secretly hoped it was, but the man who'd brought Rory to his apartment after she'd been attacked. He paused for a moment, debating whether or not he should open the door. He remembered the way he'd treated the poor guy, and realized that he deserved at least some closure in the thought that Rory was still alive. Wondering in the back of his mind whether or not he was making a mistake, Mick opened the door.

"Hey," The young man said, somewhat awkwardly, "I'm…"

"The guy who brought a half-dead girl here in the middle of the night. I remember." Mick said, stepping aside to allow the young man in. He stepped in, stopping just inside of the doorway. Mick closed the door behind him and walked over to the sink, where his and Rory's cups from earlier lay, still filled with the remnants of their breakfast. While the man was looking away, Mick quickly rinsed his and Rory's cups clean, ridding them once and for all of any incriminating evidence. Thankfully, his private fridge was safely hidden away. He gestured for the young man who was still standing in front of the door to take a seat, and then followed him into the living area. The man sat on the sofa, while Mick opted for a seat across from him. There was silence for a minute before the young man spoke.

"My name is Seth." He said, finally looking up from the floor, where his gaze currently rested. "I didn't mean to drop in unexpectedly, or to intrude on anything. It's just…" He hesitated. Mick stayed silent, waiting for Seth to continue, although he thought he had a pretty good idea of what Seth was going to say. "You see," he finally continued, "ever since that night, I just haven't been normal. A lot of shit happened that I just can't seem to forget. And…" he paused, struggling for the right words. "I just can't get the image of that girl out of my mind. I've been trying for weeks to forget the whole thing ever happened, but I just can't. I keep reliving it all in my dreams. The worst thing about it all is the fact that her face haunts my dreams. I feel like I failed her somehow, just leaving her here. I should have stayed with her, and I can't stop feeling guilty. There's no way I can put it all behind me until I get some answers." He finished. He wasn't sure why he'd said all of this to Mick, especially considering that he didn't know Mick personally, but somehow he felt like he needed to tell someone, and because Mick was involved, because he had seen the extent of the damage, Seth couldn't help but feel that Mick was the one person who would best understand what he was trying to say.

Mick had remained expressionless throughout Seth's explanation, but had realized by the end of it that Seth was venturing into dangerous territory. Mick knew he would have to tread lightly throughout this conversation; for fear that Seth might get too close to the truth. He didn't want to just send Seth away, for fear that Seth might become suspicious, but at the same time, he knew he'd have to if Seth asked too many questions.

"What kind of answers?" Mick finally asked.

"Well first of all…" Seth said, and Mick began to fear what might come out of Seth's mouth. "I want to know what happened to he girl."

Mick almost sighed with relief before answering, "She's alright." Mick saw a look of relief spread across Seth's face and could sense the tension leave the room. It didn't take a vamp to sense that kind of change in atmosphere. Mick continued. "Her name is Rory. After you left, I was able to get some help for her, and despite some serious blood loss, she pulled through in the end." True, Mick wasn't telling him the exact truth, but he told enough of it that Seth didn't ask any further questions about her, for which Mick was very grateful for.

"That's a huge relief." Seth said, a smile spreading across his face.

"Look…" Mick said to Seth. "I know I seemed like a real asshole, sending you off on your way like that after you brought her here. It's just…" he paused. "I figured there was no way for you to really help after that, and you'd probably end up getting in the way." Again, not exactly the whole truth. But it wasn't a lie either. He felt that Seth deserved at least that much.

"I understand." Seth said simply. "You were looking out for her best interests. I would have done the same in your situation."

There was silence for a while after that. Something had occurred to Mick about a week and a half ago. He had been looking into Jeff, the vamp who had not only attacked Beth and Rory, but who also appeared to be involved with a recent string of mysterious human deaths. Although The Cleaner had taken care of most of the bodies, three were discovered and reported to the police, who had launched an official investigation. All of the victims had been young women in their twenties or early to mid-thirties. Rory had been the only one so far, it seemed, that Jeff had attempted to turn. He shuddered to think what would have happened to Beth, had he not arrived in time. When he had been going over Seth's story in his mind, something jumped out at him. Seth had said that he'd stabbed Rory's attacker, and that the attacker had run off. Mick knew that Jeff was a vamp, that he could easily have killed Seth. But Seth seemed to have no idea that vamps even existed, let alone that Jeff was a vamp. Mick began formulating his own questions: What could Seth have possibly done that stopped Jeff from killing him right there on the spot?

"I know this may sound like an extremely random and unnecessary, but I was wondering if I might be able to see your pocketknife; the one you used on the attacker?"

Seth hesitated for a moment, startled by the sudden change of subject to the topic of his pocketknife. In the end, however, Seth decided to let Mick examine it, and handed it over, pulling out the blade so that Mick might be able to have a better look.

"I cleaned it the morning after the attack, so I'm not sure what use it will end up being to you."

Mick turned the knife over in his hands, and even as he did so, he felt a faint yet noticeable burning sensation in his hands. He also felt slightly weak. He immediately understood why it had repelled Jeff; the knife was made of silver. He quickly handed it back to Seth, startled by this sudden revelation. It arose in his mind a whole new set of questions; where did he get this knife? Why was the knife made of silver, when most pocketknives were made of stainless steel? Who but a hunter would even carry a knife made of pure silver?

"It's a nice knife. May I ask where you got it?" Asked Mick, trying to keep suspicion from entering his voice.

"My great-grandfather left it to me in his will after he died." Seth said simply. "After I got it, my grandfather told me it was special because it's made of pure silver." Mick resisted the urge to begin interrogating Seth further, by force if necessary. Seth had practically admitted that he was a hunter. After all, he knew that the knife was made of silver, and so he must have known what the properties of silver were. Mick's anger and suspicion abated, however, when Seth continued. "I figure it's really valuable, being silver. Not to mention the fact that it's probably rare. I mean, how many pocketknives do you know of that are made of silver?"

"Not many." Agreed Mick. He could sense that Seth was telling the complete truth, that he wasn't making any attempts at hiding anything, which put Mick's mind even more at ease. He decided that he could believe Seth. For the time being, anyway.

"So…" Seth continued, changing the subject. He wanted to get back to the subject that he was most interested in; the girl named Rory. "Would you happen to know where Rory ended up? I mean…I was hoping I might be able to see her. Just to put my mind at ease."

Mick hesitated. He wasn't sure whether or not he should let Seth see Rory. To let him know that she was okay was one thing, but to actually let him see her…that was something entirely different. Unfortunately, he didn't have much opportunity to think the situation through, because at that very moment, Rory, who had finally gotten out of the shower and dressed, appeared on the stairs, still rubbing at her hair with a towel in an attempt to dry it. She stopped at the bottom of the stairs, staring silently at the strange man on the sofa. For what seemed like an eternity, everything was silent.

AN: Yeah, so sorry for the lack of updates people...damn schoolwork, thinks it's more important than Moonlight fanfics! Lol. Anyway, so yeah, here's the latest chapter. I'm not sure whether or not things are too slow, or maybe even rushed a bit, so any impression you get, maybe even that some of the characters are off, let me know and I'll do my best to correct it. As always, thank you so much for reading and reviewing, so enjoy!

Luvz, Cat.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Moonlight, anything that occurs in this fanfic from the show, or any of its characters. I do, however, own this plot and any characters I decide to throw in. Yayz!

AN: Okay, so I'm really sorry for the evil cliffie. Yeah, I end up doing a lot of those. I decided to end the last chapter where I did, though, because I was slightly pressed for time when I was writing it, and I wanted to get it up and posted ASAP. Besides, I didn't want the chapter to drag on any more than it already did; I think it might have been the longest chapter I've written for this fanfic so far. Anyway, here's part two (finally!) so enjoy, and please R and R. Oh, and just a heads-up, I may or may not write a sequel to this story after I've finished. It depends on how well the ending of the story is received, and how many requests I get. Anyway, no more babbling. Enjoy!

The strange man seated on the couch immediately jumped up to his feet.

"Hi…I'm…uh…I mean, my name is…" Seth tried desperately to finish his sentence, but somehow found he couldn't. He had somehow forgotten his own name, completely mesmerized by being in the presence of the girl whose face had plagued his every waking moment and had haunted all of his dreams. Her face was even more beautiful than it had been in his memory, and seeing her eyes for the first time only intensified his immediate attraction to her.

"This is Seth." Mick finally said, taking pity on the poor babbling mess that was standing directly in front of him.

Rory stared at the man named Seth for a few minutes, looking him up and down. He was about her age, twenty-three, with auburn coloured, somewhat curly, chin-length hair and brilliantly green eyes. He had soft, handsome features and a certain kindness about him. When he smiled, he displayed a mouthful of perfect white teeth. He was tall, about three inches taller than she was, and even through his loose-fitting T-shirt, he gave the impression of having an extremely well defined body. He looked as though he could easily be an actor or a male model. She then examined his clothes, black jeans with tears at the knees, a chain extending from his back pocket to his belt loop, and a black faded "Rocky Horror Picture Show" T-shirt. The room was silent as Rory continued her careful scrutiny of the man. She could sense his nervousness, his excitement. She also recognized his scent off the clothes she had been wearing on the night she had been attacked. And when he had spoken, his voice had stirred something deep within her memory…

""_HEY! HEY, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"_

"He-" Mick began, but Rory finished for him.

"Rescued me."

"Yeah…" Mick said slowly, shooting Rory a quizzical expression. He had told her about the man who had saved her, but he had never told her his name, and she had never seen him before or after the night he'd saved her.

Rory caught his expression and answered simply, "I recognized his voice." She decided that, after Seth left, she'd also tell Mick that she'd recognized his scent off her clothes from the night of the attack…the clothes she had yet to dispose of.

Seth felt that somewhere, some part of him was overjoyed that she had somehow remembered him. In fact, he felt excitement and thrill flood through him at the thought that she had been able to recognize him so quickly. He wasn't even sure she'd been conscious at all when he came to her rescue. "I came by to see how you were." He finally managed to get out. He shot Rory a smile.

Rory continued to stand rooted to the spot, mesmerized by Seth, until she came to her senses and realized that she had been standing in that same spot at the bottom of the stairs for nearly five minutes. She moved over to one of the chairs across from the sofa, where she sat down, still looking straight at Seth, who was looking back at Rory.

Mick sat off to the side, watching the entire scene play out. He was made slightly uncomfortable by the tension in the air, by the way Seth and Rory were staring so intently at one another. Clearly, there was some sort of chemistry between them, that much was obvious, but Mick was disquieted by the nagging voice in the back of his mind that reminded him that Seth was a stranger, that he had reason to believe that Seth could very well be a hunter. After all, he barely knew Seth, having only met him twice, and despite a sense that Seth was a trustworthy sort of character, he was still suspicious of him. Mick was always suspicious, even when it came to people he had no reason to distrust. That was just his way.

After standing for a moment after Rory had taken her seat, Seth finally thought to resume his own place on the sofa behind him. He slowly at, not taking his eyes off the beauty seated in front of him. He gazed intently into her eyes, her amazing, mesmerizing eyes. From a distance, they had appeared to be a deep shade of blue, but from where he sat now, only a few short feet away, anyone could tell that her eyes were a blue-green shade, with a distinct deep blue ring running around the outside edge of her iris, which gave the impression from a distance that her eyes were blue.

Rory continued looking at Seth's face, taking in every detail. Simultaneously, she began to focus on his scent. He smelled deliciously of Irish Spring soap, mixed with a barely distinguishable musk scent. She also could have sworn she could smell Vanilla Mint gum. Even from a few feet away, she was surprised to find that she was clearly able to distinguish his scent. It must be the vampire senses kicking into gear, she thought, startled to find that, for the first time since she'd been turned, she'd found one aspect of being a vamp that she didn't completely dislike at the moment.

Still watching the scene before him, Mick recognized the looks of wonder and attraction in their eyes. Even though they had just become acquainted with each other, the immediate attraction to one another was evident. It was, Mick supposed, love at first sight. These expressions mirrored exactly the expression he had witnessed in Beth's eyes during their meeting in the fountain.

Although it hadn't exactly been his and Beth's first meeting at the fountain, it was their first meeting as adults. Even as they stood talking outside in front of the fountain, he had found himself attracted to her. Over the years, she certainly had grown into a beautiful woman. He knew he shouldn't feel this way, knew it was wrong, knew it could never possibly happen. But he felt connected to her nonetheless. He had seen a curious attraction reflected in Beth's eyes, a yearning to discover his mysterious appeal. It was clear she felt a distinct connection to him as well, despite the fact that she did not remember him. Things between them had evolved so quickly after that, and despite Mick's best intentions, he had fallen hard for her. It had been, for all intents and purposes, love at first sight.

He sighed, knowing somewhere deep down that he should end this before it started. It had little to do with the fact that Mick suspected Seth of being a hunter, although that did play into his decision to send Seth on his way, but rather, he wanted to spare Rory the pain of falling in love with someone that she would never be able to have a relationship with.

"Listen, Seth." Mick began, startling both Rory and Seth from their trances. Apparently they had both forgotten Mick was there, wrapped up in their own thoughts. "Thanks for stopping by, I'm sure Rory appreciates your concern as much as I do, and we definitely appreciate all you've done for her. Thanks to you, she's perfectly fine. I'm pretty sure she owes you her life. I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave now, though. Rory and I need to go run some errands."

"Oh…sure, of course. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you." Seth got the distinct impression that Mick was trying to tell him to stay away from Rory. Taking the hint, he turned to speak to her. "I'm glad to hear you're alright. The best of luck to you." With that, he gave Mick a nod, glanced back at Rory once more, attempting to sear the image of her face into his memory, and turned to leave.

Rory sat for a moment before jumping to her feet. She knew at that moment that he was walking out of her life for good. She ran over to Seth, who turned around just as she reached him and threw her arms around him, enveloping him in an embrace. "Thank you." She murmured in his ear.

Mick watched as Seth stood uncertainly for a moment, then brought his arms up slowly and returned the embrace. Mick sighed to himself, feeling guilty for doing this. He knew that he was only trying to protect Rory, that this was the best way to do so, but he felt guilty regardless.

Seth squeezed Rory tightly for a minute, enjoying the feel of her in his arms. He knew he had to leave, but he tried to prolong the moment. He gave Rory a last squeeze before uttering "It was my pleasure." He let go, opened the door, and left.

Rory could sense that he was walking out of her life forever. She felt a sinking feeling in her stomach, turning and walking up the stairs and into the bathroom without looking at Mick. He had been the reason Seth had left, the reason she knew Seth wasn't coming back. She had known Seth a mere hour, yet she had felt an unmistakable connection with him. And now he was gone.

Mick sat alone in his chair for a while, wondering if he had done the right thing. He felt badly. He realized that Seth might be her only connection to the humanity Rory had lost and was desperately trying to regain. That was how he felt about Beth. He'd felt that way even from the beginning. He considered going upstairs and talking to Rory, trying to explain himself, but decided against it. He knew she'd be far from willing to listen at that particular moment anyway. Besides, he had other things to look into.

He silently rose from his chair and grabbed his coat and sunglasses. He grabbed a file off his desk that contained a picture of Seth he'd had one of Josef's associates dig up a week prior and then, feeling for the umpteenth time that day like he was probably making a mistake, he left.

Mick arrived at the BuzzWire office building around three in the afternoon. He stood in front of the door for about fifteen minutes debating with himself before he finally decided, against his better judgment, to enter. He rounded a corner, secretly hoping that he would be met with an empty desk. He felt a sinking feeling in his stomach when he found himself face-to-face with the back of a head of blond locks. Sighing to himself, he approached.

"Hey, Beth." He said, causing her to jump. She turned around hurriedly, her look of surprise fading into an angry expression. She looked at him silently. Mick wished that she would say something. Anything. Even it she started yelling at him, it would be preferable to this. But she remained silent. "Beth, I-"

"It's been three weeks, Mick." She said quietly as she shifted her glance to the floor, her comment betraying her intense hurt. "I mean, three weeks, and you can't find the common decency to talk to me? I tried to give you space. I tried to have Rory talk to you, trying to get you to talk to me. And you call me once, just to hang up without saying a word. Do I mean that little to you?" She looked up into his eyes, and Mick was startled to find tears forming in hers.

"Beth…it's not like that." He insisted, trying to undo the damage he'd done by avoiding her for three weeks. He knelt down on the ground, taking her hands in his. "I guess I thought that, after the attack, maybe you'd be better off without me in your life. I thought that maybe if I weren't around, you wouldn't get hurt anymore. I'm sorry." He spoke the truth. He hated not having her around, had been miserable the whole time he had been avoiding her. He should have known better than to think that he would be able to stay away from her forever. He'd tried avoiding her once before, and knew that there was no possible way he could live without her in his life. But he knew that there was no way they could be together. He couldn't ask her to sacrifice everything for him. He wouldn't let her.

"You were wrong, Mick." Came the quiet reply from Beth. She was silent for a moment, before continuing, in a louder, more steady voice. "Mick, you run hot and cold. One minute you're kissing me, the next, you're pushing me away and ignoring me for three weeks. I need to know what you want. If you want more than just friendship, Mick, I can give you that. I want that. But if you want to be just friends, that's fine, Mick, I'm content with that. But I need to know where we stand." It was a lie. Beth wasn't content with being just friends. But she figured it was better to have Mick in her life as a friend than not to have him in her life at all.

Mick sighed, preparing himself for what he had to do. "I want to be your friend, Beth." This was also a lie. He wanted her for himself, wanted her more than anything. But he couldn't subject her to a relationship full of complications, a relationship where he couldn't give her everything she deserved. He could tell by her expression that she was disappointed. It was his turn to look at the floor, ashamed of himself for causing her more pain. The moment of silence stretched on until Mick finally decided to break it.

"So…" he began awkwardly, "I'm investigating Rory's attacker…Jeff, I think she said his name was. I could really use your help." He gave her a weak smile. 

"Is that the reason you came here? You need my help?" Beth asked, and Mick was afraid she might get upset again.

"That was part of it…" he said truthfully, "but I also came because I missed you." He looked seriously into her eyes. A weak smile graced Beth's face for the first time since Mick had gotten there. Mick couldn't help but let his own smile widen. More than anything, he'd missed her smile. He hadn't realized until now how much he loved her smile. It took all of his strength not to throw his morals out the window and kiss her right then, to say to hell with it all and give in to what he knew they both wanted. The only thing stopping him was his determination not to let her get hurt again, especially because he knew that if he gave in, he would ultimately be the one to end up hurting her again by pushing her away, by trying to save her from himself. He had hurt her more than enough already.

"Well?" Beth asked. Mick pulled out the file and showed handed it to Beth.

"This is Seth. He was the guy that brought Rory to my apartment the night she was attacked. He came to my house today looking for Rory." He hesitated before continuing. "They ended up meeting today. It was the strangest thing. They'd barely known each other for five minutes but…I don't know how to explain it. I think there might have been something there. Like some sort of…"

"Chemistry?" Beth finished for him. He nodded grimly before continuing. He knew she understood completely what he was talking about.

"Yeah. It was like they'd known each other forever. There was a definite attraction between them. But I-" he hesitated. "I sent him on his way." He looked down at the floor, afraid of what Beth's reaction might be. Sure, he'd made Rory unhappy, but he'd had his reasons.

"But…why?" Beth asked. Mick looked into her face, registering her look of bewilderment. Beth continued, "and what does this all have to do with Rory's attacker?"

"I'm getting there." Mick assured her. After a moment's pause, he continued. "You see, on the night of the attack, Seth told me that he'd stabbed Rory's attacker as he came at him. A week later, it occurred to me; the attacker was a vamp. He could easily have killed Seth, so why was he stopped by a pocketknife?"

"It does seem kind of illogical." Beth agreed. She was thankful to finally be talking to Mick again, to be back helping with his investigations. She reveled in this moment, in being able to be close to Mick again, and in being back to what she did best and loved most.

"So when he visited my apartment today," Mick continued, snapping Beth back to reality, "I was able to take a look at his pocketknife. It was made of silver."

"So?" Beth asked, unsure of what was so special about a silver pocketknife.

"So…" Mick said, "Most pocketknives are made of stainless steel. I've never, in all my 85 years of life, come across a pocketknife made of pure silver. There could only be one use in mind for a knife like that. It would have to be specially made."

"You mean…" Beth began, looking at Mick in wonder, "you mean, it's meant to kill vampires?"

"Yeah." Mick said simply. "That's why I sent him on his way. I don't think he suspected either Rory or me of being vamps, but I couldn't take the risk. The strange thing was, he didn't even seem like he knew vamps existed. And I didn't sense any dishonesty on his part, even after I baited him with the fact that his knife was silver. He said he figured it was special because it's worth a lot. But still, I figured it was worth looking into. Word is, there's a hunter on the streets, and someone like him could be dangerous to us vamps."

When Mick had finished, Beth let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "I see…so you want me to try and find some info on our potential hunter."

"Exactly." Mick said. He watched s Beth opened up the file folder, and her face changed completely. "What is it, Beth? Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she said, staring at the picture in front of her. "It's just…I've seen him before."

"Wait, you know him?" Mick asked, excitement and anxiousness rising within him.

"Well, I met him once…at a Christmas party last year." Beth said. Mick waited for her to continue, eagerly hanging on to her every word as she spoke. She continued. "He's the younger brother of Josh's best friend, Rick. Apparently he and Rick don't get along too well. Their parents died in a horrible car accident when he was ten, and Rick ran off to Michigan, leaving Seth to be raised by his grandfather. I talked to him at the party. He seemed like a genuinely nice person. The complete opposite of his brother, in fact. Rick was a pompous asshole. Even though I only ever talked to him once, he didn't seem like the type of guy who'd spend his nights killing the undead."

"Everyone has secrets, Beth." Mick said, although he couldn't help but get the same vibe from Seth.

"Well…" she said. "There's only one way to find out for sure." She ran off, leaving Mick sitting confused at her desk. She returned five minutes later with a piece of paper in her hand. She passed it to Mick. "I had Sam, my computer whiz, find his address." She said as he glanced at the sheet of paper.

Mick caught on to her idea. "You wanna do a little B and E, for old time's sake?" Mick asked her, grinning.

Grinning back at Mick, Beth replied. "Always."

Grabbing her coat, phone, and keys, Beth ran out of the BuzzWire office, followed closely by Mick. He was glad to have Beth back, glad everything was back to normal. Or at least, as normal as things got when it came to him.

AN: Okay, so I'm really sorry it took so long for me to write this chapter. I ran into some serious writer's block and had to force my way through this chapter, running into a creative brick wall every second sentence. So if things seem really off in this chapter, or if it seems rushed or unrealistic, I apologize. My muse, it seems, has run off to Hollywood to go and strike with the writers (sigh). Anyway, now that I've got this chapter is done, I hope that my writer's block is over. I've got two weeks to write, so damnit I'm gonna take advantage of every second of it. So enjoy, and R and R and tell me what you think. Personally, I think this chapter didn't quite turn out how I wanted it to, but, C'est la vie! As always, thanks for reading, and any suggestions as to how to improve are more than welcome.

Luvz, Cat.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Moonlight, anything that occurs in this fanfic from the show, or any of its characters. I do, however, own this plot and any characters I decide to throw in. Yayz!

AN: Okay, so just a heads-up as to what's going to be happening. And no, I don't mean spoilers. Everything shall be revealed in due course, and you're gonna have to keep reading if you want to see what happens. The first item on the agenda is the fact that I promised you people Mick/Beth make-up sex. For those of you who are considering sending me anthrax, I just want to say that it is coming…just a little later than I expected, because I decided to throw in some brilliant (if slightly evil) plot twists. But I haven't forgotten; it IS coming. Second item on the agenda: I had a Christmas themed chapter planned that I'd hoped to get up and posted on or before Christmas, but unfortunately I wasn't able to meet my goal. I'm going to post it regardless, but unfortunately it's a little later than I'd planned. Third item on the agenda; I'd like to thank you all for your wonderful feedback and I'd just like you to know I've already got ideas for a sequel to the story if anyone's interested. If I get enough feedback there will most definitely be a sequel. Anyway, so there's what's happening. I'd just like to say thank you once again, and Happy Holidays!

An hour later, Mick and Beth found themselves outside the door of Seth's apartment. Mick stood patiently by as Beth effortlessly picked the deadbolt. It was yet another thing Mick secretly admired about her: her absolute skill and perfection when it came to Breaking and Entering. He smiled to himself behind her back, secretly thanking God that things had returned to normal. If he was going to be breaking and entering with anyone, he was glad it was Beth.

Mick turned his head quickly to look as he heard the click that indicated the lock had been unlocked. He and Beth exchanged looks as Beth grabbed the handle, turned it, and pushed the door open. She was about to go in, but Mick put his arm out to stop her. He quickly stepped in front of her and walked in first, clearly as a precautionary measure.

Beth allowed herself a small smile, thinking of how that simple action was so typically Mick. Truth be told, she had missed his overprotective nature; it had given her a sense of security. She knew that, regardless of what things were like between them, he would never allow any harm to come to her, but she appreciated when he showed his over protectiveness. It was an indication of how much he cared about her, even if he refused to acknowledge it.

Mick put out a hand to stop Beth, raised a finger to his lips, signaling her to be quiet, and then turned a corner to see what was behind it. After a moment of standing in one place and listening to his surroundings Mick decided that it was safe, and motioned for Beth to join him where he was standing in the living room. After another silent moment, Mick spoke.

"Okay. You take the living room, while I cover the bedroom. After you've finished in here, move on to the kitchen. I want to do this as quickly as possible and get the hell out of here. Got it?"

"Yeah." Beth replied. They both stood there for a minute looking at each other before going their separate ways.

As Mick entered the bedroom, he was greeted by a variety of scents. Dirty laundry, moulding pizza-crusts, stale potato chips. The smell, however, was nothing compared to the sight of the place. Barely an inch of floor was visible through the mountain of items strewn about carelessly on the floor. Mick was hardly able to walk through it as he searched. He spent a good half-hour scouring the room for any indication that the inhabitant of this apartment was indeed a vampire hunter.

Coming to stand in front of the half-open closet door, Mick opened it completely and began rummaging through its contents. What he came across was pretty well what you'd find in any twenty-three-year-old's closet. He found a bunch of old photo albums, boxes of papers, and a stack at least a foot high of magazines that were clearly meant to be private. He picked up the top one and started flipping through it, becoming entranced by the pictures of naked women in front of him. He was so engrossed in the magazine, in fact, that he didn't even hear Beth quietly tiptoe into the room behind him.

"Find anything?" She asked.

"Wh-What?" Mick asked, dropping the magazine he was holding and standing up quickly, hitting his head hard on a shelf on his way up.

Beth sighed. "Okay, what are you hiding?"

"N-nothing." Mick nervously attempted to lie, although he knew Beth could see right through him.

"Then I'm sure you won't mind me having a look in there."

Before Mick could stop her, Beth ducked under his arm and walked into the closet. She picked up the magazine that Mick had been holding a moment earlier and, leafing through it, spoke to Mick, a smirk on her face.

"Interesting reading. I'm sure you were just looking at it for the articles, right?" She smiled even wider at the clearly mortified look on his face at the moment. She couldn't help but think that he was sexy when he was mortified.

"Did you find anything?" He asked, clearly trying to change the subject in a hurry.

"No." Replied Beth simply, dropping the magazine haphazardly back on the stack. "Nothing out of the ordinary. It doesn't even look as if he owns anything made of silver, let alone silver weaponry. Are you absolutely sure he wasn't telling the truth? Maybe he really doesn't know about vampires. Maybe the fact that he has a pocketknife made of silver is simply innocent." She said. Mick shook his head.

"Who but a hunter would have a silver knife? I mean, he said his great-grandfather left it to him…obviously his great-grandfather was a hunter. If that's the case, then Seth's bound to be one too. Hunting is a family affair; it's taught through the generations."

"Mick…maybe you're reading too far into this. Maybe Seth's great-grandfather was an antique collector who had a thing for silver. A silver pocketknife is rare, right? Maybe he got it simply because it was a rarity." Beth tried to convince Mick. Mick shook his head again.

"A hunter wouldn't sell off their silver."

"Mick, there's no proof other then the fact that Seth owns a silver pocketknife that he's a hunter. Surely if he were a hunter, his place would be stocked with silver weapons. Maybe you're wrong."

Mick sighed, conceding defeat. At least for the time being. He had little evidence to indicate that Seth was a hunter. But that didn't mean that Seth was off the list of suspects just yet.

"Come on, Mick. Let's get out of here." Beth said, placing a hand on his arm.

Mick nodded in agreement and followed Beth out of the cluttered room, picking his way through the mess of items on the floor. He and Beth left the apartment, headed to Mick's car, and drove back to Mick's apartment in silence.

Mick walked in the door to find Rory sitting with her feet up on the couch and reading a book. She looked up as the door opened, then went back to deliberately staring at the page in front of her. Beth followed close behind him, taking off her jacket and setting it on a chair.

"Hey Beth." Rory said without looking up from her book. She said nothing to Mick.

"Hey." Beth replied, making her way to the living room and sitting down in a chair opposite the couch. Mick stayed behind in the kitchen, pouring himself a tall glass of blood from a bag in his fridge. He stood silently, drinking it slowly so he could delay having to go and talk to Rory. He knew that he was the last person she wanted to speak to at the moment.

"So I see you two are talking again." Rory stated, placing her book down on the table and turning to face Beth.

"Yeah." Beth said simply. She looked from Mick over in the kitchen area to Rory sitting on the couch and sighed. She knew a sort of brother-sister relationship had formed between them over the past few weeks. She also knew that they had become dependent on one another. Rory helped Mick to feel as though he were able to help people with his vampirism, that he wasn't a complete monster after all. And Mick helped Rory to come to terms with what she had become, as well as helping her to feel safe after the attack. They needed each other. Seeing the situation between Rory and Mick as it was, Beth felt bad. She suddenly felt the need to take it upon herself to get Rory talking to Mick. "Listen, I know it's none of my business, but I heard about what happened with Seth…" There was silence. "I know how you must be feeling. After Mick rescued me as a child, I felt closer to him than any other human being on the planet, and I didn't even remember him. I know you must feel that same connection with Seth. And just when you finally get to meet him face-to-face, he's sent away. I know you must be extremely angry and bitter right now, but Mick was only trying to protect you."

"HOW?" Rory raged, jumping to her feet. "By sending away the one person I feel…" she trailed off, desperately trying to find the right words to express herself.

"Completely at ease with?" Beth finished for her. Rory looked at her and silently nodded, her anger leaving her. She fell back onto the sofa and dropped her gaze to the floor. Beth moved over to where Rory sat on the couch and hugged her. Rory sat silently for a moment, fighting back the tears that threatened to fall. True, she felt safe with Mick. She knew he would protect her. But when Seth had been there, she'd felt completely safe and even truly happy for the first time since she'd been attacked. Seth had rescued her, and she felt as though he were the only person that could make her feel truly complete, truly at ease and safe. Like nothing in the world could possibly touch her. "I know how it feels." Beth said softly.

Mick stood watching the scene from where he stood. He felt badly for Rory. He'd never meant to hurt her, doing what he did. He was only trying to protect her. Since she'd been brought to him, he'd felt obligated to protect her. He hated that he'd had to hurt her in the process, but if it meant that she would be safe, then so be it. She had no idea the danger Seth posed to not only her, but to the entire vamp community of he was, in fact, the hunter that was roaming the streets of L.A.

Beth let go of Rory and said, "Mick had his reasons for doing what he did. He was only trying to protect you."

"Protect me from what?!" Rory asked, becoming agitated once again. Mick sighed to himself and decided that it was time he told Rory the truth.

"From Seth." He said, walking into the living room and sitting down in Beth's empty seat across from the sofa.

"Mick, the man saved my life. Obviously he meant me no harm! Why the hell would you need to protect me from him?"

"It's more complicated than that…" Mick said, trailing off. He wasn't sure quite how to explain all of this to Rory, how to phrase what he needed to get across to her. He wanted to be delicate, but at the same time, he needed her to understand the danger Seth posed to not only her, but to the entire vamp community. Apparently his answer wasn't satisfactory enough for Rory, because she exploded once again.

"HOW? How could it POSSIBLY be more complicated than that?"

"BECAUSE I HAVE REASON TO SUSPECT THAT HE'S A VAMPIRE HUNTER!" Mick yelled, jumping up. He had lost the last remnants of his patience. There was silence in the room after that. Both he and Rory sat down. Both of their faces had changed in their anger, and Mick was breathing heavily, struggling to calm down. Rory's face began to change back to normal as her anger was forgotten in the shock of this revelation. Beth, forgotten in the heat of the argument, sat looking startled on the sofa.

She'd rarely seen Mick like this. He had always been patient and understanding with her, but apparently with Rory, it was a different story. Rory knew exactly which buttons to push to make Mick lose his temper.

Mick breathed out heavily, finally calming down enough for his face to resume its human features. His anger was replaced immediately by guilt for losing his temper with Rory. He felt even guiltier as he looked over at Beth and saw the startled look that lingered in her eyes long after he had changed back to normal. She had seen him for what he truly was, for what he'd never wanted her to see him as: a monster. Something to be feared. He looked pointedly away from her as he told Rory everything about the silver knife Seth carried and about how they'd looked around his apartment.

After hearing everything, Rory finally spoke. "But if you didn't find anything, then he can't be a hunter; if he was, he'd have an arsenal of silver weaponry. And besides, he'd have recognized what Jeff was on the night of the attack; he'd have seen that I had been turned and he would have killed me. Instead, he brought me here for help."

"He fought Jeff off with a silver knife, Rory. He had to have known that it would weaken him."

"Or he could have used it simply because it was the only weapon he had." Rory stated. She was trying desperately to exonerate Seth of Mick's suspicions. She just couldn't bear to think that Seth could be a hunter. It would make him the enemy, and Rory could never see him as such. To her, he'd always be her saviour.

Mick ignored this argument and continued. "He might not have realized you were turned. He could have thought you were simply bitten."

Silence filled the room once again. Everyone became lost in their own thoughts. It was nearly seven o'clock in the evening now. The sun would be going down soon. The ring of Mick's cell phone interrupted the silence.

"Hey Josef." He answered after seeing Josef's name on the caller I.D. "Yeah, we're still coming…okay, we'll be there in a few. See you then." He hung up the phone and glanced across the couch to where Rory and Beth sat looking at him. "Josef wanted to know if we were still going to drop by your apartment." He said to Rory. "We were supposed to be there half an hour ago, but it slipped my mind."

Glancing at the clock, Beth stood up, grabbed her coat, and said, "I guess I'd better be running along as well."

"Well, wait a minute," Mick said, "you're welcome to come along with us if you want." Mick glanced at Rory, who nodded in agreement, and then back at Beth. Beth smiled and shook her head.

"I'd love to," she said, "but Josh is going to be arriving at the airport in a few hours' time. And besides," she said, looking over at Rory, "It's almost time for me to feed Lucky."

Beth had agreed to look after Lucky while Rory's apartment was being renovated. She'd also agreed to take care of Lucky for the time being because, sensing that Rory had become a vampire, a predator, something dangerous and threatening, Lucky now refused to come near her. Mick had explained that this as simply how animals instinctively reacted to vampires, but Rory was determined to win back Lucky's trust. She had visited him at Beth's house every day since she had been turned, trying to get close to Lucky. She would offer him treats, but he would not come within five feet of her, so she would toss them to him. Yesterday, however, she'd had a breakthrough. She offered Lucky a treat like she normally did and, to her surprise, Lucky approached her long enough to grab the treat out of her hand, then vanished beneath the couch to devour it. She'd almost cried. She knew it wasn't much, but it was a start. There was hope after all that Lucky might come around and learn to accept her as the vampire she had become.

Rory smiled. "Thanks so much for looking after him Beth."

"It's no problem." Beth assured her. "It's kind of nice having a pet. Josh isn't around much these days, so having Lucky around has kept me company."

When Beth had said that Josh wasn't around much, Mick quirked an eyebrow. Seeing this, Beth explained. "Josh has been working an ongoing case lately that requires him to spend a lot of time in Miami."

"Oh." Said Mick simply. Beth nodded, then plastered a smile to her face.

"Hopefully he won't have to go back though."

"Yeah." Mick said. As Beth turned to go, he said, "Look, if he does have to leave again, just let me know, so I'll know to keep an eye on you."

Beth smiled. "Yeah, okay." Then she turned and left, leaving Mick and Rory alone in Mick's apartment. She had done her job; she had gotten Rory to talk to Mick.

Mick sat staring at the door for a minute or two after Beth had left. Then he got up, grabbed his jacket, and motioned for Rory to do the same. Mick engaged the alarm system and he and Rory both donned their polarized sunglasses, as the sun had not yet set. They reached Mick's car, got in, and headed off to Rory's apartment to meet the mysterious character Josef that Rory had heard so much about from Mick.

AN: Thank you all for your patience yet again. It seems my muse is still on strike, so I've had a hard time writing this chapter. Thee are still some parts of it I'm not too happy with unfortunately being the perfectionist that I am, but I hope you enjoy it all the same. I also haven't had much time to write lately, as my dad was visiting for the holidays, so I wanted to spend as much time with him as I possibly could. Anyway, here's the next chapter, so enjoy! And please feel free to read and review. Hopefully your reviews will inspire my muse to come back so I can write the next chapter a little faster than I was able to write this one.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Moonlight, anything that occurs in this fanfic from the show, or any of its characters. I do, however, own this plot and any characters I decide to throw in. Yayz!

Rory and Mick pulled up in front of Rory's apartment building. Rory couldn't help but feel slightly nervous; after all, she hadn't encountered another vamp before now, save Mick and Jeff. She was also a little curious as to why this Josef would offer to renovate her place like this without thought of payment. Mick insisted that it was because Josef, being the oldest in the area, felt a responsibility to look after the younger vamps, but Rory wasn't so sure. From what she'd heard about Josef from Mick, Josef was a businessman, and any good businessman would never do something unless he thought he could make a profit.

Mick and Rory stepped out of the elevator onto the floor where Rory's apartment was located. Rory was surprised to see that the door to her apartment was already open. As they got closer, Rory could see a man standing just inside the doorway.

"Hey Josef." Mick said, walking up to the man and shaking hands with him. Rory stood in the hall just outside the door, watching as the two men exchanged greetings. Rory couldn't help but think that Josef was handsome. He was tall and well built, with blond hair and brown eyes. He was wearing a stylish black suit that could have easily cost upwards of $3000, and he carried himself with an air of superiority.

"And this must be Rory, right?" Josef asked, reaching out his hand. Rory accepted the offered hand.

"Yeah." Rory said simply. Josef locked eyes with her, as though searching for something. Rory smiled politely back and conducted her own search of Josef's eyes. She found that, despite the fact that he gave an impression of being manipulative and self-centered, there was also a barely recognizable kindness in his features. Although Rory was sure that, if he wanted to, Josef could easily rip anyone limb from limb, the kindness she detected was enough to put her mind at ease. She found that, even though she wasn't too fond of his obvious arrogance, she found him to be somewhat likeable. And she'd barely even spoken to him.

After a moment, Josef's vague smile widened and became, to Mick's utter bewilderment, warm and accepting. Mick had never seen Josef take to anyone so quickly. Even during his own meeting with Josef, it had taken Josef about an hour or so to really warm up to Mick. And that had been the fastest Josef had ever warmed up to anybody. Until now.

After a silent, somewhat tense moment Josef, smiling widely and still not taking his eyes off Rory's, snapped his fingers. "Donovan."

"Yes Mr. Konstantin." Replied a short, greying middle-aged man who had come running at the snap of Josef's fingers.

"Kindly show Rory the adjustments we've made to her apartment, would you?" Josef addressed the man without breaking eye contact with Rory.

"Of course. Please follow me." The man said, turning to Rory. Before finally breaking eye contact with Josef for the first time in several minutes, Rory silently nodded to Josef, her own smile becoming warm and wide, and turned to follow the man who was now leading her into the kitchen area.

Josef turned to Mick and gestured for them to go out into the hallway. Mick followed Josef, a somewhat quizzical expression on his face, and Josef closed the door to the apartment behind them, leaving them in privacy. Josef turned to Mick and smiled. "I like her."

"What do you mean, 'you like her'? You don't like anybody!"

"Not true. I like you."

"Yeah, and it took you quite a while to warm up to me. How can you say you like her after five minutes?"

"I just can. You know Mick, of all the people I've met in my four hundred years, I can count on one hand the number that haven't been intimidated by me during the first meeting. Even you were slightly intimidated when we first met. But her…" He paused, allowing himself a smile. "…She wasn't intimidated in the least. I can't help but admire that."

Mick couldn't help but let an amused grin cross his face. "But Josef, I thought you enjoyed intimidating people."

"Oh I do, don't get me wrong. There's no greater pleasure in life than making people respect you because they fear you. But you can't help but like the select few that can look you in the eye without the slightest trace of fear. I mean, despite your initial intimidation upon our first meeting, you're in no way, shape, or form intimidated by me now, and I respect that. You're not afraid to call me on my bullshit. Why do you think I've hung around you for this long? I respect her for the same reason; because she's not afraid of me."

Mick just smiled. Even after all these years, he was still trying to figure his friend out. Just when he thought he knew everything there was to know about Josef Konstantin, something like this would come way out of left field and smack him across the face. Life was never boring when you were around Josef Konstantin.

"Anyway," Josef said, abruptly changing the subject and taking on a serious tone. "That's not the only reason I brought you out here to talk to you. I know you've been investigating the recent hunter attacks. I want to know if you've made any progress."

Mick thought about telling Josef of his suspicions that Seth was the hunter, but something held him back. He knew how the situation would play out if he did tell Josef. He'd tell Josef that he had suspicions, but he had very little evidence to support them. Josef would tell him that it didn't matter how much evidence he had, that if he had suspicions, he should kill whoever he thought was behind it. In Josef's mind, it would be better to kill ten innocent people than to let the guilty one escape. Mick didn't exactly share these views.

"Not much." Mick said. "This guy's good. He never leaves much to go on." Mick decided that, if and when he could positively prove that Seth was the hunter, he would tell Josef when the time came.

"I see." Josef said. He could tell that Mick was holding something back. "Well, if you get any leads, you know what to do. Waste him. This hunter's a threat to our society, to our secrecy. We need to get him off the street."

"I know." Mick said simply. There was a tense moment of silence as the two just looked at each other. Then Josef smiled, slapped Mick on the arm, and gestured for them to go back into the apartment.

Rory was standing in her bedroom with Donovan, who had just finished showing her the private refrigerator that had been installed in her kitchen. The fridge, which already came stocked with pre-packaged blood, had fascinated her and she had spent about five minutes examining it. It was operated with a special remote, and when it was opened, it would rise up from within the kitchen counter and open automatically. When it was closed, it would descend back to its hidden place in the counter. It was discreet, and if one didn't know it was there, they wouldn't see anything out of the ordinary at all. Rory mentally wondered how much the fridge system alone would have cost. It must have cost a fortune, she thought to herself.

Just as Donovan was about to show Rory the modifications that had been made to her bedroom, Josef and Mick entered.

"That'll do, Donovan." Josef said, and Donovan nodded and left the room. From on top of the small table beside her bed, Josef retrieved another remote. "This is where your icebox is located." He pushed a button on the remote and Rory's bed was automatically rolled to the side by some sort of mechanism. Then an icebox rose up from the floor where the bed had once been. There was a clicking sound as the icebox stopped and automatically locked in place. Josef looked over at Rory and grinned at the astonished look on her face.

"Cool, isn't it?" he asked quietly.

"It's amazing!" Was all Rory could get out. She turned to Josef. "Thank you so much. I mean, it's all just wonderful. I just don't know how I can every repay you."

"Think nothing of it. Call it a gift, from one vamp to another." Josef replied with a smile. He looked at his watch and cursed under his breath. "Well, I wish I could stay longer, but I've got some business to attend to. I do, however, have time for one celebratory drink."

Josef snapped his fingers again and a young man, about twenty-five or so, came bustling over with a glass of blood for Mick. A young woman of about Rory's age also walked over. She offered her arm to Josef, who smiled and allowed his face to change. Rory was startled to find that the young man who'd brought Mick his glass of blood now held out his arm in front of Rory. Rory looked up in alarm, unsure as to how to proceed in this situation. Seeing Josef, it dawned on her what she was supposed to do. Josef was looking at her intently, as though wondering what the problem was. She smiled sheepishly at him and tried to explain.

"Um…well, you see…it's just that I…" She tried to find a way to explain her apprehensions without offending Josef. A look of understanding crossed over Josef's face and he chuckled.

"Oh, I see what it is." He said smiling, "Mick here has got you trained to eat that pre-packaged waste, right? Well, I should have guessed as much." He said with a laugh. He instructed the young man standing in front of Rory to get her a glass of blood, which he returned with only a moment later. Seeing that everybody was happy with the arrangement now, Josef made a toast. "To the beginning of your immortal experience." He said, nodding to Rory. Rory and Mick raised their glasses and downed them. Josef bit down on the wrist of the young woman and drank heartily. Only Mick seemed to notice that Rory looked pointedly away at this.

After a few more minutes of conversation, everyone said their goodbyes and, after handing Rory the key card to her front door (Josef had also had some extra security equipment installed) Josef left. After some debate, Mick decided that it would be best if Rory spent one more night at Mick's before coming back to her apartment, so Rory accompanied Mick back to his apartment.

It was about nine o'clock p.m. when Rory and Mick arrived back at Mick's apartment. Mick had been up almost all night the previous night and all day that day, so by that time he was thoroughly exhausted. He dropped his remote key on the table and, after pouring himself a glass of blood, went into his room and climbed into his icebox. Rory followed Mick's lead and, after downing a glass of blood, went into the guest room and climbed into her own icebox.

Unlike Mick, Rory wasn't able to sleep. She turned over and over trying to find a comfortable position, but no matter how she tried, she wasn't able to sleep. She found that all of her thoughts came back to one thing: Seth. She couldn't believe that he was a hunter. In her mind, such things were impossible. She also couldn't stop thinking about how good it felt to be around him. After about an hour of attempting to sleep and failing miserably, Rory made a decision.

After hurriedly dressing, Rory crept downstairs. When she reached the bottom, she stopped and listened, almost sure she'd heard something. She waited like that for five minutes, and after hearing nothing more, she grabbed the remote still sitting on the table and left the apartment.

Seth was sitting watching a movie when he heard a knock on the door. Looking over at his clock, he couldn't help wondering who would be knocking on his door at eleven o'clock at night. Grabbing the metal baseball bat he'd kept behind the door for nearly a month and peeked through the peephole. He nearly dropped the bat when he saw who was standing behind it. He couldn't believe his eyes. He quickly placed the bat back in its place behind the door and opened it.

"Hey." Rory said.

AN: Yes, another one of my evil cliffies. You'll get used to them after a while; it's just my writing style. (Grins Evilly). Anyway, so I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thankfully, it was a lot easier to write than my last one. My muse came back and, after I promised her three weeks' paid vacation, she's once again turning out excellent ideas. As usual, thank you all for reading and for your wonderful reviews. Luvz, Cat.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Moonlight, anything that occurs in this fanfic from the show, or any of its characters. I do, however, own this plot and any characters I decide to throw in. Yayz!

"H-hey." Seth replied, an awkward smile forming on his lips.

"Can I come in?"

"What?" Seth took a moment to register what she'd just said. "Oh yeah, right. Of course." He said, stepping aside to allow her entry. She stepped in and made her way to the couch. "Sorry about the mess." Seth said, looking around his filthy apartment and silently cursing himself. "I wasn't expecting company."

"It's fine." Assured Rory with a smile. "You should see my place when I'm not expecting people."

They both laughed. Yet their laughs were different. Seth's betrayed nervous confusion. Rory's showed true joy and contentment.

Seth took in the sight of Rory as she stood in front of him. She was dressed in tight-fitting blue jeans and a feminine looking black leather jacket that came to just past her hips. Her black hair framed her face stunningly; coming to just below her shoulders, and on top of her head sat a stylish black Fedora hat. She wore little makeup, save for some eyeliner, which accentuated her blue-green eyes. She looked even more beautiful than she had when he had seen her earlier that same day.

Rory glanced at the movie that was paused on the screen. "Nacho Libre, huh? I didn't think it quite lived up to all the hype."

Seth shrugged. "It's okay, I guess. I mean, it is kinda dull, but…" He shrugged again. "I paid to rent it, so I might as well watch it." He allowed his confusion to fill his face as he asked, "So, not that I'm complaining or anything, but…what are you doing here?"

Rory looked at him and shrugged. Chuckling quietly to herself, she smiled and said, "I honestly don't know. I guess…I guess I just felt like I had to see you. To apologise for what happened earlier."

"I-I thought I wasn't going to see you again." Seth said, taking a step closer to her. "I mean…I kind of got the impression that your friend didn't want me to come back." He brought a hand up and brushed it nervously through his hair.

"Don't mind Mick," she said with a small smile. "He's just the type of guy that's…how should I put it…really overprotective."

"Oh," Seth said. A thought crossed his mind and his face fell. "Oh, so he's your… your boyfriend?" He'd had trouble getting that last word out.

"What?" Rory asked, drawn from her silent thoughts by what he'd said. "Oh…oh, no. No. He's definitely not my boyfriend. He's just a good friend." She said quickly. "He's actually just letting me stay with him until tomorrow. I'm having some renovations done to my apartment."

An obvious sense of relief spread quickly over Seth's face. He suddenly looked slightly happier. Rory smiled nervously.

"So…uh, do you want something to drink? I've got coffee, tea, beer…" Seth asked quickly, breaking the silence.

"Oh, no thanks." Rory said with a polite smile. "I'm not really thirsty anyway." After a moment's silence, Rory continued. "I was wondering if maybe…you wanted to go out somewhere. Maybe…I dunno…go see a movie or something?"

Rory looked at Seth for a moment. She smiled sweetly at him, looking at him intently, waiting for his answer. Seth just stared at her, shocked. He'd never met a girl that was so forward. He was also surprised that she was showing any interest in him. He couldn't help but think that she was way out of his league. She was easily the most beautiful girl he'd ever met. He couldn't believe his luck.

"What did you have in mind?" Seth asked, a smile spreading across his face. Rory's smile widened.

"Well, Stephen King's 'The Mist' is playing…"

"Really? You'd want to go see that movie?"

"Sure…why not?" Rory asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Well, it's just…" Seth began, a sheepish smile on his face. "Most girls would insist on seeing some sort of romantic comedy or something. I didn't any girl would want to see a horror flick."

"Well, I'm not like most girls." Rory said with a smile, closing the distance between her and Seth. She leaned in, preparing to kiss him. Seth quickly backed up.

"Whoa, hang on. Are you sure that your friend Mick would be okay with this. I mean, I couldn't help but notice the guy didn't seem to like me too much."

Rory's face fell slightly. "Honestly, I don't really care what he thinks. I'm a big girl. I can make my own decisions." She said this with a slight bitterness to her tone.

"I see." Seth said. Not wanting her to think he wasn't interested in her, he smiled and grabbed his coat. "Shall we go then?"

Rory perked up immediately. "Yeah." She said simply. She smiled, grabbed Seth's hand, and led him out the door.

It was about 11:30 p.m. when Seth and Rory arrived at the movie theater. On the way there, Rory and Seth had had an animated discussion on the best movies. They were surprised to find out that their taste in movies overall was fairly close. Their favourite genres were the same: Action Thrillers and Horror flicks. They both absolutely loved the Blade Trilogy, and they agreed that The Grudge was good for a laugh, if nothing else. When it came to the Chucky movies, however, their opinions differed greatly. Rory insisted that they were the scariest movies she'd ever seen; she couldn't sleep for weeks afterward, and that she could never look at a doll in quite the same way again. Seth thought they were hilarious, and said that they couldn't scare a three-year-old.

When they'd arrived at the theater, Seth paid for the tickets and sent Rory to grab some seats while he bought snacks. He'd thought it a bit strange that Rory didn't want anything, but had simply shrugged it off and bought some stuff for himself. He made his way into the dark cinema just as the previews were finishing, and found Rory had saved them excellent seats in one of the middle rows.

"You sure you don't want any?" He asked Rory quietly about ten minutes into the movie, indicating the popcorn bucket in his lap.

"Yeah. I'm fine, thanks." She whispered back, settling back comfortably into her seat.

Rory was perfectly alright and thoroughly enjoying the movie until the first bloodshed. Then, something she hadn't expected happened. As she watched the blood dripping onscreen, she became painfully aware that she hadn't fed in a few hours. She realized that she was beginning to vamp out, and, horrified, she grabbed her bag and ran out of the theater and into the ladies' washroom. She caught a glimpse of her own startled face in the mirror, of her milky white eyes and long, piercing fangs before barricading herself in one of the cubicles. She practically ripped open her bag; luckily, she'd had the foresight to bring a few bags of blood with her, as she wasn't sure how long she'd be out. She quickly bit open one of the bags and began drinking ravenously. Upon finishing the bag, she bit into another one, downing its contents within seconds. After she'd drained it, she felt herself change back to her normal state. She stepped out of the stall, listening to make sure no one else was in the bathroom with her. She went over to the mirror and quickly washed off the blood that she'd gotten on her face. Thankfully, she managed not to get any on her shirt in her frenzied feeding. Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Rory? Rory, are you in there?" Seth called in. He'd seen her run out of the theater, and when she hadn't returned after five minutes, he got worried and went looking for her.

Rory jumped at the sound of his voice. After a moment, she called back. "Yeah, I'm fine." After one last quick look in the mirror, she ran to the door and ran into Seth on her way through it. She fell to the ground. With surprising strength, Seth took Rory by the arms and gently lifted her up. She looked up into his face, and he looked down into hers. Rory could see the worry in Seth's eyes. "I just felt a little sick, that's all."

"Are you sure you don't want to leave then?" Seth asked, concern etched in his every feature. Even his voice sounded concerned.

"No, I'm fine…I guess dinner just didn't agree with me, that's all. And besides, I didn't drag you all the way here just to run out partway through the movie. And I will not allow myself to be known as a wimp!" With that, Rory grabbed Seth by the hand and dragged him back into the theater, Seth smiling an amused smile the whole way.

Two and a half hours later, Seth and Rory found themselves walking back toward Mick's apartment. After Rory had fed, she'd had no further problems regarding the sight of blood in the movie. Tonight had taught her a valuable lesson, though; she needed to make sure she'd fed sufficiently before watching such movies, particularly when in a public setting. Otherwise, the sight of blood, even onscreen, would trigger her thirst and she could potentially become a threat.

"You know," Rory said to Seth as they walked. "I could have walked back myself. You didn't have to go out of your way like this."

Seth looked over at her, seriousness in his eyes. "Yeah, I did. After what happened…" he paused. She knew he was referring to the night she was attacked. "I want to make sure you get there safe."

Rory smiled to herself. Seth was such a gentleman. She closed the space between them on the sidewalk and grabbed his hand, interlacing her fingers with his. Seth looked down in surprise at their interlaced fingers and then back up at Rory, a wide smile on his face. They continued walking in silence like that for a while.

The sky opened up in a torrential downpour as Seth and Rory reached a point about seven blocks up from Mick's apartment. Seth looked up at the sky and then back down at Rory.

"Well this is just wonderful." Seth said, bitter sarcasm evident in his voice.

"It really is." Rory said with a smile. She let go of Seth's hand and ran ahead to a big puddle. She jumped into it, soaking herself even more than she had been from the rain alone. Seth just looked at her, surprised.

"The rain doesn't bother you?" He asked incredulously as he watched her twirl around and jump in random puddles. He actually loved the rain, personally. But Hanna had always hated it, so whenever it had rained he would have to give her his jacket and listen to her complain for the next three days about how it had ruined their evening.

"No. I love the rain. I always have." She said, grinning at him.

Seth just smiled and ran to the nearest puddle, jumping in it. He hadn't done that in a long time, ad he hadn't realized how much he'd missed it. The last time he'd played in the rain like this had been on his first date with Hanna. Hanna had insisted that splashing around in puddles was juvenile, so he'd stopped doing it. He and Rory laughed and ran and splashed through puddles all the way to the front entrance of Mick's apartment building. Both were thoroughly soaked by the time they reached the entrance. Breathing heavily, they laughed at themselves.

"Well," Seth said, looking over at the tall apartment building. "I guess this is where we say goodbye." He tried his best to keep a look of disappointment out of his eyes.

Rory's face fell slightly. "Yeah, I guess so." She looked into his eyes. He looked into hers.

"Some night, huh?" he said with a small chuckle. The night had had some pretty lousy points.

"Yeah." Agreed Rory, not taking her eyes off Seth's.

"Well, I'll see you around." Seth said with a smile, turning around to go.

Rory just looked after him. Then, a feeling of spontaneity swept over her. She ran after him.

Seth had gotten only partway up the street when someone grabbed his shoulder, turning him around. Seth barely had time to look at Rory before she grabbed him by the back of his head and pulled him into a passionate, forceful kiss. Seth was stunned for just a moment before picking Rory up and holding her close to him. He smiled to himself as Rory opened her lips and started flicking he tip of her tongue against his lips. He opened them, allowing her tongue to collide with his. She ran her hands in a frenzied manner through his long, curly hair, as though she thought that by doing so, she could bring him even closer to her. Seth broke the kiss, biting very gently on her bottom lip. This sent shivers up Rory's spine, threatening to send her over the edge. She had to struggle to keep the vampire within at bay. She took his mouth once more in a forceful kiss, a kiss that seemed to last forever, a steady motion of tongues colliding. They even forgot about the rain, which was now relentlessly pounding them, even worse than it had been moments before.

After about five minutes of frenzied, passionate kissing they broke apart. Each had a slightly dazed smile on their face.

"We should really do this again sometime." Rory said to Seth, a playful grin crossing her face.

"Definitely." Seth replied, hardly containing his own grin. "I'll see you sometime soon then?"

"Definitely." Rory replied with a smile. She leaned in and gave him a last kiss on the lips, soft this time, and said, "I really should be going back now."

"Right…Goodbye." He said, flashing her one of his smiles that made her feel weak in the knees. Then he turned to walk down the street. Rory turned and walked in the opposite direction.

After a few moments, Seth stopped and turned around, watching Rory walk away. Smiling to himself, he turned back around and continued walking.

Just as Rory reached the apartment building, she turned to watch Seth's back as she walked away. She allowed a contented sigh to escape her before heading inside, allowing herself a grin.

Exiting the elevator, Rory walked up to the door of Mick's apartment as if in a daze. She stopped outside of the door and reached into her pocket to retrieve the remote to unlock the door. She was startled when the door opened by itself.

"Welcome back." Mick said, clearly angry.

AN: Yup…it's official. My muse is back. I've got fresh ideas lined up for the next few chapters, and I'm hoping to be able to get the next one up and posted in a day or so. I'm actually really happy with the way this chapter turned out, and I hope you'll enjoy reading it just as much as I've enjoyed writing it. Well, happy new year all! 2008! Woot woot! Luvz, Cat.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Moonlight, anything that occurs in this fanfic from the show, or any of its characters. I do, however, own this plot and any characters I decide to throw in. Yayz!

Mick stepped aside, allowing Rory to enter the apartment. Rory sighed as she walked in. She had hoped she'd be able to make it back before Mick woke up and discovered she was gone. She hadn't anticipated having to face him like this.

Mick practically slammed the door shut behind her and walked over into the kitchen area, leaning with his hands on the counter with his back to Rory as she sat silently on the couch. She was instantly reminded of a teenager caught breaking curfew, and she had to fight the urge to burst out laughing at this thought.

After taking a few deep breaths to try to calm himself, Mick poured two glasses of blood and brought them into the living room. He handed one to Rory, who muttered her thanks. He sat down across from her and, letting out one last deep breath, spoke as calmly as he could.

"Where were you? I was worried." Mick said, letting genuine concern show in his features.

"Why?" Rory asked. "It's not like I'm a fourteen year old girl or anything. I'm a big girl, in case you haven't noticed."

"I know…" Mick said, clearly trying to keep his voice steady. "But with a hunter running around L.A., the streets aren't safe for you. Besides, Jeff is still on the loose…and something tells me he's not finished coming after you." He paused, trying to make her see. "It's my responsibility to protect you. As a more experienced vampire and as your friend." He sighed. "After you ran off the night Beth was attacked, I swore to myself that I'd protect you. You're still learning, not to mention that at this stage, you're very vulnerable. You aren't aware of the world of dangers that awaits you now that you're a vamp. If I let something happen to you, I couldn't live with myself knowing that I failed to protect you." The room was silent for a moment before Mick continued. "You never answered my question. Where were you?"

Rory sipped her glass of blood, clearly trying to draw out the time before she gave an answer. She thought about lying to him, but she decided against it. He'd probably know if she was lying. And anyway, she knew she had to stand up for what she believed in. And she believed in Seth.

"I went out with Seth." She said. Mick's expression turned dangerous. It looked as though he were exerting all of his self-control in an attempt not to vamp out.

"YOU DID WHAT?" He asked, jumping to his feet, sounding more and more like a father who had forbidden his daughter to date. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA THE DANGER YOU JUST PUT NOT ONLY YOURSELF IN, BUT ME, AND JOSEF, AND THE ENITRE VAMP COMMUNITY?" He had explained to her already the threat Seth could potentially pose to the vampire community. He thought he had gotten through to her. Apparently, he hadn't.

Rory rose to her feet as well. "Look, Mick. He doesn't know, okay? He's not a hunter!"

"How do you know?!" Mick asked, trying desperately to contain his anger. Rory could feel her own temper rising.

"I would think that the fact he hasn't put a silver bullet in my head yet is some indication that he doesn't know!" She said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "God! You sound like some overprotective father!"

"And you're acting like some stupid reckless teenager that's getting herself way in over her head! He could be dangerous!"

"But he's NOT! And no matter what you do, you can't stop me from seeing him. It's MY CHOICE! And damn it all, I refuse to believe he's anything but a kind, gentle and caring person. You have no control over who I choose to date, Mick. And whether you like it or not, I'm going to keep seeing him!" With that, Rory downed the contents of her half-empty glass, shot Mick a last dirty look, and stormed off upstairs and into the room she had occupied for the last few weeks.

Mick ran a hand through his hair and then, his anger getting the bet of him, flipped the heavy coffee table sitting in front of him clear across the room, smashing it to bits on the opposite wall. Then he stormed off into his own room, stripping quickly and climbing into his own freezer. He couldn't help but think that Rory was extraordinarily like Beth. When she wanted something, she went for it, damn the consequences. But the consequences of Rory dating Seth could go beyond her. They could affect the entire population of vamps within the vicinity of L.A. But as long as he had no proof that Seth was indeed a hunter, he had no justifiable reason to keep Seth away. And he couldn't very well explain all of this to Josef. There was a chance that Seth was simply an innocent party, and Josef would want Seth killed regardless, for security purposes. Mick couldn't let that happen. He would not have the death of an innocent man weighing on his conscience for all of eternity. If, in fact, Seth really wasn't the hunter. As he drifted off into an uneasy sleep, Mick came to the conclusion that, however he looked at the situation, he found himself stuck between a rock and a hard place.

AN: Okay, really short chapter, I know. Shortest chapter I've written, as a matter of fact. But don't hold it against me. The next chapter will be longer, I promise. And a lot's going to happen next chapter, too. (Evil Smile) So I guess you'll all just have to keep reading to find out what the next major plot twits are.

Luvz, Cat.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Moonlight, anything that occurs in this fanfic from the show, or any of its characters. I do, however, own this plot and any characters I decide to throw in. Yayz!

AN: Okay, so over the next little while, my updates may become less frequent. I just feel obligated to warn you ahead of time. You see, writing fanfics is kind of my crack, and I've become addicted to my computer lately. I've spent practically the entire Christmas break holed up in my bedroom hammering out chapters, which is pretty unhealthy when you think about it. So, (sigh) I'm going to have to do some detox, which means giving up my computer for a while. Or simply limiting the time I spend on it. This, unfortunately, will affect the rate I update at, so please forgive me. But for my own good, I must do this. Seriously, I'm losing all pigment in my skin. I haven't seen the light of day in God knows how long. Lol. Anyway, sorry to those of you who idolize me for my speedy updates. But after this, they won't be so speedy anymore. So, now we've got that all cleared up, on with the show! (I mean story…please don't sue! I'm scared of lawyers!)

Over the next few months, Mick had to come to terms with the fact that Rory was dating a suspected hunter. He hated to admit it, but he knew he really had no say in what she did in her private life. Still; Mick didn't quite trust Seth, despite the lack of evidence against him. And though he may not have been able to stop Rory from dating Seth, that didn't mean he couldn't keep an eye on Rory. Which was why, whenever Rory went on a date with Seth, Mick would find out about it and follow them.

He would often bring Beth along on his stealth missions, simply because he enjoyed her company, and oftentimes, he had a lot of downtime when watching them. Seth and Rory usually just went and had dinner in restaurants or watched movies, so Mick would park outside waiting for them to exit.

Beth would often tell Mick that he was overreacting, and that what he was doing was borderline obsessive. If Seth really were dangerous, he would have done something by now. Not to mention the fact that Rory had been in Seth's apartment many times, and she had never seen any silver there. Other than her constant reminders that he was slowly becoming a stalker, Mick and Beth's conversations were always enjoyable.

Mick also found himself keeping an increasingly close eye on Beth as well. Beth often told him that Josh never really spent any time at home anymore, because he was always working on a case that took him out of town. Mick would even offer to let Beth stay at his house while Josh was gone, but she would always politely refuse. So he would park outside her apartment building at night. There were a few times when she'd actually come out and talked to him while he was sitting there, and occasionally they would go see a late-night movie or just sit there and talk about anything and everything that came to mind.

After a while, Mick stopped monitoring Rory's dates with Seth. When he stopped doing so, he realized just how alone he was now. Rory had some weeks ago moved back into her own apartment, and although she visited Mick often, she didn't need for him to constantly look after her anymore. And since he had stopped following Seth and Rory wherever they went, he really had no reason to call Beth up and ask her to go somewhere with him. After all, they were just friends. Even if Josh was becoming increasingly distant from Beth.

Rory heard a knock on her apartment door. It was going on three in the afternoon, and She and Seth were going to see a movie tonight. But first, Seth had said that he had a surprise for her.

Rory opened the door. A bouquet of deep red roses greeted her.

"Hey Gorgeous." Grinned Seth, walking through the door and giving her the flowers.

"Oh, Seth! They're beautiful." She smiled, taking the roses and putting them in a vase of water. She walked over to him and placed a gentle kiss on his lips, which very soon intensified, until it became passionate and heated. They broke apart for air, grinning at one another. "I'll be ready in a minute." Rory assured Seth, rushing into the bathroom to apply some forgotten makeup.

Seth settled down comfortably in a chair and, after a moment, was greeted by Rory's cat. He purred and rubbed up against Seth, his sleek black fur glistening in the light of the fluorescent bulbs that lit the room.

"Hey Lucky," Seth murmured quietly to the cat as he stroked him. Lucky settled down in Seth's lap, still purring contentedly, in answer. After about five minutes, Rory came bustling out of the bathroom, grabbing the little black bag she kept her belongings in as she prepared to leave. She paused a moment and rubbed Lucky behind the ears, thankful that she was once again able to do so.

It had taken a long time, but Lucky had finally come around. It had happened about a month and a half earlier, when she had been preparing to feed him. He had come close to her, slightly hesitant, but close all the same. Rory had reached out a hand to him, hoping that by some sheer miracle, he might come close enough for her to touch. Miraculously, he came close enough to sniff her, and apparently deciding that she was no threat to him, he rubbed up against her hand. She cried tears of joy, and spent the rest of the day petting him, making up for lost affection during those long and uncertain weeks.

"You ready to go?" Seth asked. Rory nodded, slipping on her jacket, shoes, and polarized sunglasses. Rory and Seth left the apartment, hand in hand.

Beth was standing in Josh's office, in the midst of an argument with him. Because of his increasing absence over the past few months or so, their relationship had become strained. Josh was preparing to go on yet another out-of-town business trip. Beth was struggling to hold together the pieces of their deteriorating relationship.

"…But Josh, you said last time that you wouldn't need to go back!" Beth almost yelled. She looked at Josh, a forlorn look on her face. Josh sighed.

"Look, I know what I said. But there were some complications that arose that I need to attend to in Miami. I won't be gone long. A week at most."

"That's what you said last time. And you were gone for two! Josh, I love you, but I'm just not sure how much more of this I can handle!" Beth sighed, looking away from Josh. It wasn't just Josh's constant absences that were upsetting her. She was also plagued with guilt about the fact that she had been spending so much time with Mick while Josh was away. Not to mention the few kisses she'd shared with Mick in the past. Before she and Mick had agreed to keep things on a friends-only basis.

Josh sighed and, moving from behind his desk, approached Beth and wrapped his arms around her. She pushed herself from his grip and turned around to face the wall.

"Beth…" Josh said softly. "Is this really just about how much time I've been spending in Florida lately? Or is there something else bothering you?"

Beth sighed. The time had come. She needed to admit her mistakes to Josh.

"No. There is something bothering me. I need to come clean. I need to put my conscience at ease so we can move forward. I kissed Mick. More than once. And since you've been gone, I've been spending a lot more time with him." She said. "Just as friends, though." She added quickly. "We decided that it would be best for us to just remain friends."

Josh just looked at her for a moment, shock clearly registering on his face. He backed up to sit on his desk. He was silent for a moment, staring at the floor and worrying Beth. Then he looked up at her and spoke.

"I see…and why exactly are you telling me this?" He asked, a dumbfounded look on his face.

"Because I need to get it off my chest. I need to be honest with you for once." She looked at him, sadness reflected in her eyes. It killed her that she was hurting him like this, but he had a right to know. She wanted to save their relationship if possible, but she also knew that she had to be honest with him.

Josh looked at her for a moment and sighed. "It's okay." He said. "I forgive you."

Beth was shocked. "Wait…what?" She asked. "That's it? I just told you that I've kissed another man, a man I've been spending an increasingly large amount of time with, and you forgive me? Just like that?"

"We all make mistakes, Beth." Josh said, getting up and walking over to her. He rubbed her arm reassuringly with his hand. "I just…I don't want something as petty as that to ruin our relationship. You realize you were wrong, and you've admitted your mistake. So let's just forget about it and move on with our lives."

He smiled reassuringly at her and leaned in to kiss her just as a knock came on the door. He sighed heavily and said, "Come in!"

It was an office assistant. "Mr. Lindsey? You're needed in the conference room."

Josh smiled apologetically to Beth and said, "I'll be back in a minute."

With that, he followed the office assistant out of the room. Beth stood around for a minute before walking over to Josh's desk and taking a seat in his comfortable office chair.

Seth and Rory grabbed a taxi and headed off to Seth's surprise destination. Getting out of the taxi, Rory realized that they were in front of an apartment building, although it was an apartment she'd never been to. Grinning, Seth pulled Rory out of the taxi and brought her inside. They got in an elevator and went up to the fifth floor. Exiting the elevator, they followed a long hallway until they reached a door labelled "507". Grinning, Seth explained what they were doing there.

"Well…surprise." Seth said. When Rory quirked an eyebrow at him, he continued. "Okay. Well I've been doing some thinking lately. About us. And I realized that you're a major part of my life now. So I wanted you to know jut how much you mean to me. I wasn't sure quite how to do that at first, and then I realized; I could introduce you to the one other person that means the most to me in this world."

Rory smiled widely. "Seth…you're so thoughtful. You know, you really don't have to-"

"Yes I do." Seth smiled, taking her hand in both of his. "I wanted to show you just how committed to this relationship I am. I want to make you a part of every aspect of my life. I want to introduce you to my brother. Well, he's not actually my brother. But he might as well be. We grew up together." He grinned. After a short silence, he continued. "I just want you to know how big this is. Hanna never even met him."

"Seth…I'm honoured that you want to include me in your life like this." She smiled, and then kissed Seth gently on the lips. After they broke apart, Seth raised a hand and knocked sharply on the door. Rory quickly grabbed Seth's hand. Seth squeezed it reassuringly.

After a moment, there were footsteps coming from within the apartment. Then the door swung open to reveal a handsome, rugged-looking man of about twenty-five, with chin-length, dark blond hair and hazel eyes. His face was covered in short stubble, and over his left eye he had a small linear scar. He wore a plaid, flannel button-up shirt and torn blue jeans. Around his neck he wore a set of dog tags.

"Seth! Hey, how are you doing, man?" The man grabbed Seth in a bear hug, which Seth happily returned.

"Hey Scott." Seth said, letting go of the man and returning to his place at Rory's side. "It's been a while."

"Yeah, it sure has." Scott agreed, beaming at Seth. Scott's gaze then wandered over to Rory. "And this must be Rory, right? You must be some girl. Seth here just won't shut up about you." He grinned and extended his hand. Rory smiled politely and took it.

"Yeah, that would be me." She glanced over at Seth and had to suppress a giggle. Apparently Scott's comment that he never shut up about her had embarrassed Seth. His face and neck had gone beet red. Rory gave him a reassuring smile and took his hand. Rory could sense him relax when she touched him.

"Well come on in, and make yourself at home." Beamed Scott, stepping aside and allowing them into the apartment.

As Beth sat waiting for Josh to return, the phone sitting on the desk rang, startling her. She looked at the caller ID, and was startled to find the name of a woman Josh had never mentioned there. She tried to rationalize it, saying that it was probably just one of his colleagues. But Josh usually mentioned his female colleagues to Beth. She sat staring at the phone, biting her nail, debating whether or not she should answer it. She knew she probably shouldn't, but a voice in the back of her head kept screaming at her to do it. So, listening to the intrusive reporter voice in her head, Beth quickly reached out and picked up the phone.

"Hello, Josh Lindsey's office." Beth answered, doing her best to try and sound at least semi-professional.

"Who's this?" Asked the female voice on the other end of the line. Beth hesitated for a fraction of a second, trying to think of a believable lie.

"I'm…I'm his secretary." Beth answered. There was silence on the other end of the line. For a moment, she was sure she'd been found out. Then…

"Oh, I see. Well, when you have a chance to talk to Josh, tell him Vanessa called, and that I'm looking forward to seeing him. I'll be picking him up at the airport when he arrives." Said the woman. "Oh, and one more thing…tell him I love him and that I've missed him while he's been away."

Beth's breath caught in her chest. She found herself unable to breathe. Here she was, on the phone with living proof that Josh had not, as she'd believed over and over again, been away on business, but had in fact been meeting with some skank on the other side of the country.

"Hello? Are you still there?" Came the voice on the other end of the line. Beth was drawn out of her thoughts.

"Yeah…of course, I'll let him know." She managed to get out. With that, she hung up the phone and, feeling the rage rising up within her, waited once more for Josh to return. Apparently, there were a few things they needed to discuss…

"So…do you want anything to drink?" Scott asked.

"Yeah, I guess I'll have a beer." Seth said.

"I was asking the lady, jackass. You know where the fridge is." Scott replied with a grin.

"Uh…No thanks, I think I'll pass." Rory replied, a polite smile on her face. Scott looked at her questioningly.

"Are you sure?" He asked, "I've got coffee, tea, beer…"

"No thanks." Rory said simply.

"Alright. But if you change your mind, just let me know. Don't hesitate to ask." Scott said, flashing a smile. There was something about the way he looked at her after that, however, that left Rory somewhat disquieted.

For about an hour, the apartment was filled with animated conversation. Rory felt a little uncomfortable with the situation overall, but she didn't want Seth to know, because he seemed to be having a wonderful time, sitting in a room laughing and talking with the two people he cared about most. Rory didn't have the heart to ruin this for him. So she laughed and talked animatedly, masking her own insecurities for Seth's sake.

Seth glanced down at his watch to discover that an hour had gone by and, remembering that their movie would be starting in about an hour, decided that it was time for he and Rory to leave.

"Well, Scott…I had a really good time. We should do this more often. We'd love to stay longer, but unfortunately our movie will be starting soon so we've got to run." Seth said, standing up. Rory did the same.

"Yeah, of course…" Scott said. He rounded the coffee table and grabbed Seth in a huge bear hug.

"It was nice to finally meet you Rory." Scott said, extending his hand. Rory shook it.

"It was nice to meet you too, Scott." Rory couldn't help but notice that Scott was rather intently studying her black jacket, Fedora hat, and big, polarized sunglasses.

"You know, it's getting late. I doubt you'll be needing those sunglasses now." He commented.

Rory didn't much like the intent stare that he was giving her now. And she really hadn't liked the looks he'd kept giving her throughout their conversation when Seth hadn't been paying attention. All she wanted now was to leave there as quickly as possible. There was something more than slightly unnerving about Scott that she just couldn't ignore.

"Unfortunately I do." She replied. "I'm rather photosensitive, you see. Bright light wreaks havoc on my eyes."

"I see." Scott said, giving her another of his intense looks. Then, all of a sudden, his attitude seemed to change, and he seemed to perk up. "You know what I just realized I forgot? I never did introduce you to Rex."

Smiling at her and Seth, Scott made his way down a hallway to a closed door.

"Rex?" Rory questioned in a whisper, just loud enough that Seth could make out what she was saying.

"Rex is his dog. Relax, you'll love him. He's a German shepherd, but he's a total marshmallow. Wouldn't hurt a fly." Seth wrapped an arm around her shoulder and squeezed her tightly to him. She smiled nervously.

Just then, a huge dog came bounding out of the room he'd been locked up in and into the living room. Rex stopped instantly in front of Rory, still and silent for a moment.

Scott came into the living room just as Rex, completely unprovoked and for no apparent reason, began to growl and bark viciously at Rory.

Rory's face took on a fearful expression as she quickly backed away from the enraged animal. Just as the dog reared back, clearly preparing to attack Rory, Seth stepped in the dog's path and jumped on top of it. Seth wrestled the dog roughly to the ground.

All the while, unbeknownst to Seth, Scott had been watching as the whole scene played out. Seth was preoccupied with Rex at the moment and couldn't see what was going on beyond his own struggle with the animal, but as Rory looked over she could have sworn that, very briefly, an expression had crossed over Scott's face as he stood looking at her that had chilled her to the core. It was a look of pure hatred.

Seth had finally managed to pin Rex to the ground with immense effort, although the animal was still barking and growling and writhing beneath him.

"WHAT THE HELL HAS GOTTEN INTO REX!" Seth shouted, still struggling to keep the dog subdued.

The look had passed so quickly across Scott's face that Rory began to question whether or not it had actually been there in the first place. Perhaps her insecurities involving him had caused her to imagine it. Still, there was a certain coldness in the air that just wouldn't seem to go away.

"I have no idea." Scott said, grabbing the collar around the dog's neck so that Seth was finally able to get up off of it. Rex continued to bark and growl, struggling against Scott's hold to get at Rory. "He doesn't usually act this way." Scott assured Rory.

Deciding that he should get Rory out of there because Rex had clearly targeted her for some unknown reason, Seth said a final hurried goodbye to Scott and whisked Rory out of the apartment.

"I'm so sorry." Seth kept repeating to Rory over and over again as they made their way outside onto the busy Los Angeles street.

"It's fine," Rory repeated for the fifth time. "You had no idea things were going to turn out like that. Now, let's just go to the theater."

Seth agreed. Both of them just wanted to put this disastrous evening behind them. Rory even more so than Seth could ever possibly imagine.

Josh walked into the office and was startled at the look on Beth's face. Apparently something had happened between the time he'd left the office and now that had upset her.

"Beth?" He asked softly. She looked up from where she had been staring determinedly since she'd answered the phone call and into his face. Anger and hurt filled her eyes as she looked at him. "Beth, what's wrong?"

Beth was silent for a moment, gathering herself together, before answering. "Vanessa called. She wanted me to tell you she's meeting you at the airport when you arrive tomorrow."

"Oh. I see." Was all Josh could manage to get out. He collapsed into the seat in front of is desk, facing Beth.

"How long?" Beth asked simply. Josh didn't answer. "How LONG has this been going on, Josh?"

"I met her in Miami a little over two years ago." Josh said, looking at the table. Somehow, he couldn't bring herself to look into her eyes.

"Oh, so you've been cheating on me with her the whole time we've been together, then. Or have you been cheating on her with me?"

"Beth, it's not like that." Josh said, "We broke up just before I met you. We've only recently started seeing each other since I've been working the Thomas case in Florida."

"But you've still been cheating on me." Beth said coldly.

Josh lost his temper. "You know, I don't understand why you're so hung up on this. You just admitted to me not twenty minutes ago that you kissed Mick St. John! The guy you spend so much of your time with nowadays. People in glass houses-"

At this, all of Beth's self-control went out the window. "Yeah, but I didn't FUCK HIM, JOSH!" She said, leaning forward in her seat. There was silence as she took a few deep, calming breaths. Then, looking him straight in the eye, she said, "I came here today to try to save what was left of our relationship. Now I see that it's just not worth saving. We're done." She said coldly. She got up out of Josh's office chair and walked toward the door.

"Beth, now hold on a minute!" Josh said, but Beth continued walking as though she hadn't heard him. She let the office door slam behind her as she went out.

Rory and Seth emerged from the movie theater laughing and talking animatedly with each other. It was about nine o'clock at night, and the streets were packed. Rather than take a cab back to Seth's place, he and Rory decided to walk back to Rory's, as it wasn't that far from the theater.

"Here…let's take this shortcut." Seth suggested, pulling Rory down a deserted side street.

"Seth…are you sure? I mean, it's pretty dark out here."

"Yeah, we'll be fine." Seth assured her, grinning. "I won't let anything happen to you. I promise." With that, he leaned in to kiss her.

They had been walking down the side street for a while, still talking animatedly when, out of the shadows, jumped a tall figure dressed in black. Over his face he wore a black ski mask, which made his face unrecognizable. He pulled from his belt a small 45-calibre handgun and aimed it at them. Without saying a word, he fired five shots.

"RORY!" Seth yelled, his giddiness turning to fear in an instant. He watched helplessly as four shots were fired into her. One, it seemed, had missed her. Everything had just happened so fast that Seth had not been able to shield her in time. He fell to his knees as she dropped to the ground. "RORY! RORY! Oh shit. Oh god, no, please! Rory!"

Seth looked up in time to see the gunman retreat into the bushes. His first instinct was to chase after the son of a bitch, to tear him limb from limb, but he couldn't leave Rory. Miraculously, she was still somehow breathing, but how long would that last?

Seth bent over her, blood seeping all over him as he tended to her. She began to convulse in his arms. She seemed to be having a reaction to the bullets. He pulled her into his arms, and what he saw made him drop her and back away in alarm. Her face had changed completely. Her canine teeth had instantaneously grown into long, piercing fangs, and her eyes had clouded over and were now completely white, save for her pupils.

Every instinct in Seth's body told him to run away. He was instantly transported back to the night he'd rescued Rory, to the image of the man who had attacked her. Rory's face had now taken on those same fearful qualities he'd seen in the man's face. Fighting his urge to run, Seth gathered Rory up in his arms and began to run. Rory may have been frightening, but he loved her more than anything in the world. He couldn't just leave her to die like this.

Running, he found he recognized the area. He knew that, not too far from where he was now, there was a building he knew. A building he'd visited twice before. It was in this building that Mick St. John resided. Seth knew that Mick didn't exactly like him, or even trust him, but Mick was a good friend of Rory's, and he wouldn't refuse her. Praying to god that Rory held on long enough for them to get to Mick's and call an ambulance, Seth set off running in the direction of Mick's apartment building.

AN: Yup…another cliffie. Anyway, hope this has met your addictive needs for now…Luvz always, Cat.

P.S. I have revised chapter 11 because I ended up messing up the timeline with it…their first date they went to see 'The Mist', not '28 Weeks Later'


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Moonlight, anything that occurs in this fanfic from the show, or any of its characters. I do, however, own this plot and any characters I decide to throw in. Yayz!

It was about seven-thirty. Beth had been driving around for a while, not exactly sure where she was going. She just drove. She couldn't stop thinking about Josh…about how he'd betrayed her. Granted, she had kissed Mick. But she'd done nothing else. And Josh had cheated on her even before he'd found out about that.

Somehow, as she always did when she was troubled, she found her way to Mick's apartment building. Sighing, she parked her car, got out, and headed for the elevator. Although she'd managed to find her way here purely by accident, she knew that Mick was the only person she wanted to talk to right now.

Fresh tears made their way down Beth's cheeks as she approached the door. She knocked, still sobbing, and waited for Mick to answer the door, praying to god that he was even home. How could she have been so stupid?

Mick picked up her scent on the air even before she knocked. He was in his office working at his computer when her familiar aroma filled his nostrils. For a moment, he'd thought maybe he imagined it. Until the knock came at the door.

Abandoning his work at the computer, Mick immediately got up to answer the door. He always answered the door to Beth. He didn't even bother looking at the security monitor mounted on the wall before opening it. He answered the door with a smile on his face, but as soon as he saw her crying, his smile faded.

"Beth…what's wrong?" He asked, startled, as she immediately flung herself into his arms. He wrapped both of them tightly around her.

"It's…it's Josh." Beth replied in between sobs. "He…he…he cheated on me!"

"What?" Mick asked, anger blazing in his eyes. He looked down at Beth, buried in his chest and crying inconsolably. He felt the immediate urge to go and kill the man that had made this angel…his angel cry. He shook himself mentally, realizing that going and killing Josh wouldn't solve anything. He had to remind himself that violence wasn't always the answer.

Mick pushed thoughts of killing Josh from his mind and instead focused on Beth.

"Here…why don't you sit down? I'll make you a cup of coffee, and then we can talk. Okay?" Mick asked gently. Beth looked up into his face and nodded, sniffling. Mick's heart broke for her. As she finally let go of him, he wiped a tear from her face and smiled reassuringly at her. Mustering a weak smile in return, Beth gratefully accepted the proposal and went to sit down on the couch.

Half an hour passed as Beth explained to Mick what had happened earlier in Josh's office. Mick listened and gave Beth his support. Beth finally calmed down and, once she had finished her story, sat in silence beside Mick on the sofa.

"You know," She began, looking at Mick and managing a faint smile. "I was really upset after I first found out that Josh cheated on me. But now, I have to say, I feel kind of relieved." She looked at Mick. "Does that make me a bad person?"

Mick smiled reassuringly at her. "No, Beth. You're not a bad person."

"I guess I wanted out of the relationship all along. I was just fooling myself, thinking that maybe somehow I could make things work with Josh."

"I know you loved him…" Mick began. Beth interrupted him.

"But that's the thing…I'm not so sure I did. All this time I've been fooling myself. I've really been in love with you."

"Beth…" Mick began wearily.

"Mick…I can't deny it anymore. I love you. Now that Josh and I are through, there's nothing standing in the way of us. Except you." Beth said. Mick sighed. He knew she was right. But he also knew they could never be together.

"Beth…you're really messed up right now. You just ended things with Josh. You're not thinking clearly. Once this is all over, you'll realize what you're feeling is nothing more than-"

"You're wrong, Mick. I'm thinking clearly for the first time in god only knows how long. I love you, Mick. And I'm not going to let anything stand in the way of that." Beth said. She moved closer to him and took his face in her hands. She looked into his eyes for a moment before gently placing her lips to his.

Mick resisted for a moment before finally giving in. He was tired of holding back. Tired of being noble, of doing the right thing. He wanted this, wanted this more than he'd ever wanted anything. Finally giving in to her, he released the passion he'd felt build up over so long. He let it all rush forward in one dizzying, mind-numbing kiss. Beth returned his passion, letting all of her pent-up emotions flow into the kiss as well. The result? Pure mind-numbing ecstasy.

They kissed for nearly five minutes straight, their tongues clashing for supremacy. Finally, they broke apart for air, both slightly disoriented, and grinning somewhat stupidly.

"I love you, Beth." Mick said. He'd finally gotten out the words he'd said over and over to himself in his mind. The words he'd been longing to say to her for as long as he could remember. She beamed at this. She then proceeded to attack him once more in a fierce kiss.

Mick found that he was losing himself in Beth's embrace. And for the first time, he didn't care. Yes, he was being selfish. Yes, there would be hell to pay for it later. But right here, right now, this was his moment. Damn the consequences, he would give in to her sweet temptation.

Still in a lip-lock with Mick, Beth managed to find the buttons of his shirt with her hands. She began undoing them, only to have Mick pull away from her and stand up. She felt disappointment flare up within her. He was going to push her away again, just like he always did.

Mick grinned at Beth and lifted her effortlessly into his arms. With his vampire super-speed, he had them up the stairs and in front of his guest bedroom in seconds flat. Beth looked at him, shocked.

"I figured we might as well do this right." He smiled at her. He carried her through the door and set her down gently in the bed. Ripping his own shirt off, he grinned, a playful look in his eyes, as he climbed into the bed on top of Beth. "Now, this won't do." He said, pulling her shirt off over her head and removing her bra. Looking at her like this, he could feel a bulge in his jeans.

Beth was shocked at Mick's sudden change in attitude, but thrilled all the same that he had finally given in. She let her hands roam freely up and down his chest and back, stopping just at the waistband of his jeans. She looked Mick in the eye, grinning mischievously at him, before unbuttoning them and undoing the zipper. Grinning, Mick stood up and removed both his jeans and his underwear, leaving him completely exposed in all his glory.

For a moment, Beth's breath caught in her chest at the sight of him. Then she remembered to breathe.

Mick climbed back onto the bed, capturing Beth's mouth in a kiss. His hand cupped her breast as he kissed her, before he finally decided that it was his turn to see her naked. He unbuttoned her jeans and almost tore them off of her. He took a moment to marvel in the sight of her before climbing on top of her. He stayed there, poised for a moment. He looked her in the eye. He had to be sure.

"Beth…" He whispered softly.

"I'm sure, Mick." She reassured him with a smile.

"Things could get-" Mick began.

"Messy. I know, Mick. I want this." She looked into his eyes and he knew she meant it. He thrust into her. Then pulled back.

Their bodies soon fell into rhythm. Both revelled in the joy of each other. Mick could feel his excitement rising, and as he did, he felt the beast escape. He vamped out.

Beth watched as his face changed. She wasn't scared of him. She saw him stare hungrily at her neck.

"It's okay, Mick." She whispered. "Go ahead."

Mick looked in her eyes for the briefest of moments before plunging his fangs into her neck. Beth felt pain for the briefest of seconds before it melted away into pleasure.

The tension mounted and mounted until, at last, both felt the rush of release. Mick removed his fangs gently from her neck and rolled off of her onto the bed. He looked over at Beth, who grinned back at him. What Mick saw in her eyes in that moment gave him hope; he saw no fear in her eyes. He just saw love, and absolute devotion.

Mick shifted over closer to Beth and took her in his arms. He kissed the top of her head softly and held her close.

"I love you Beth."

"I love you too, Mick."

With that, Mick just stayed there and rested as he felt Beth drift off to sleep in his arms.

Seth ran up the stairs carrying Rory in his arms. The scene was all too familiar in his mind. He tore open a door leading into the hallway. Finally reaching Mick's apartment door, he banged frantically on it and hollered.

"HELP! I NEED HELP!

Mick heard a pounding on his front door and groaned. He felt Beth stir as he placed her on the bed, threw on his jeans, and went to answer the door. When he looked into the security monitor, he was met with an eerily familiar sight; Seth was standing there, carrying a bloody Rory.

Mick immediately opened the door and pulled Seth and Rory in.

"What happened?" Mick asked immediately, pulling Rory from Seth's arms. Rory began once again convulsing. Mick instructed Seth to clear off the coffee table, which he did with one sweep of his arm.

"We were walking back to her apartment after we had gone to see a movie, and then out of nowhere this psycho with a gun jumps out of the bushes and shoots her! Seth explained, hanging back as Mick inspected the wounds. "She looked like she was having some kind f reaction to the bullets. And her face got all weird. What the hell is happening to her?!"

Mick looked at Seth and saw only fear and concern in his eyes. He could sense that Seth was telling the truth.

"What's going on down here?" Unnoticed by anyone, Beth had crept down the stairs, dressed in one of Mick's overly long button-up shirts. She caught sight of Rory convulsing on the coffee table.

"RORY! OH MY GOD!" Beth yelled, running over to take a look at her.

"Look, Seth. You're gonna have to go." Mick said, grabbing Seth by the arm and leading him to the door.

"No!" Seth said, pulling his arm out of Mick's grip. "I'm not leaving her this time. I made the mistake of doing that once, I'm not gonna do it again!"

"You need to go!" Mick said.

"Wait Mick." Beth said. Mick turned to look at her. "He should stay. He deserves to know."

"Know what?" Seth asked. Mick sighed. He didn't have time to argue the matter. Every moment he spent arguing was precious time wasted.

Mick ran over to a kitchen drawer, grabbed a pair of tongs, and ran to the fridge, grabbing a blood pack. He ran back over to Rory and proceeded to pull the bullets out. He then tore open the pack of blood with his teeth and poured it into Rory's mouth.

"What the hell are you-" Seth began to ask, but stopped partway through. He watched as Rory's wounds healed almost instantaneously. Seth backed away, looking incredulously at the scene. "What-"

"She's a vampire." Mick said. Seth backed away.

"How do you-" Seth began, but again Mick answered before the question was complete.

"Because I'm a vampire too." Mick stated. He allowed the change to overtake his features. Seth fell backward upon seeing this.

"You mean you-"

"Drink blood? Yeah. Unfortunately one of the downsides to being a vamp."

Seth sprang to his feet and pulled out his knife, flipping it open. Beth gasped. Mick's body tensed, but he remained where he was. The kid was obviously shocked by what he'd just found out. He was scared and Mick knew it. He was reacting because of fear. Mick wanted to resolve this peacefully. He knew that if Seth tried anything, he could easily disarm him long before Seth could attack him.

"My grandfather told me all about vampires." Seth said slowly. "I never believed him. I always laughed it off. Always thought they were just the ramblings of an old man. But now…" Mick took a step closer to Seth, his hands up in a gesture of surrender. "Stay back!" Seth warned. "I know you kill people-"

"Actually," Mick began slowly, "We don't. For the most part, vamps feed on willing human volunteers. Not the general populace. And some, like me and Rory here, feed on pre-packaged blood from blood banks and morgues. Now, I'll be the first to admit that there are some psycho vamps out there that give all of us a bad name, but for the most part, humans and vamps coexist peacefully."

"But my grandfather always said-"

"Your grandfather is a hunter, Seth. They hunt and kill all vampires. My guess is, he was trying to train you to be one too. He lied to you to try to make you hate all vamps." Mick watched Seth very carefully. He could sense that Seth was thinking about what he'd said. He continued. "Think about it. How many times have you and Rory been alone together? She could have easily killed you on any one of those occasions. But she didn't."

Seth looked over at Beth. Beth smiled reassuringly at him. "Look, I know this may all seem so overwhelming right now. I know what you're feeling. I was terrified when I first found out about vampires. But they're not all evil and scary like you've been taught to believe."

"You mean you're not-"

"No, I'm human, just like you. I know from experience. Trust me on this. Please, out down the knife."

Seth considered everything he'd taken in. He took a step toward Mick, knife still firmly in hand.

"My grandfather always told me that I should kill a vampire if I ever got the chance, because they'd kill me first." He said. He looked from the knife in his hand, to Rory, to Mick.

Mick tensed, thinking that maybe Seth was planning an attack.

Seth looked back at his knife. "But I can't imagine Rory killing anyone. And seeing as how you haven't come after me yet…"

Seth shocked Mick be folding up the knife and placing it in Mick's hand. Mick stared at him with wide eyes for a moment. His features reverted back to normal. Seth reached out a hand to shake Mick's. Looking Seth in the eye, Mick took it.

Mick looked back over at Rory. "It'll be a while before she wakes up. But she'll be fine. She was shot with silver bullets, but you got her here just in time."

Seth looked over at Rory, and then back at Mick. "Do you mind if I stay with her until she wakes up?"

Mick sighed. "Yeah, I guess you can stay."

Seth grinned and went to take off his jacket. At that moment, he felt a burning pain in his arm that nearly made him scream.

For the first time since Rory had been brought in, Mick realized he smelled fresh blood from someone other than Rory. He looked over at Seth.

"You alright?"

"I dunno…my shoulder is killing me, though!" Seth replied.

Beth walked over to where Seth stood and examined his shoulder, just below his collarbone.

"Mick!" Beth said, "He's been shot!"

Mick walked over and examined the wound. "Here, let me get Rory out of here and then I'll take care of that wound."

Seth looked at Beth, who replied, "Don't worry. He was in the army during the Second World War. He knows first aid."

"What?" Seth asked, clearly confused. "The second World War?"

"Yeah." Beth confirmed. Then she explained, "Vampires don't age like we do. In fact, they don't age at all."

Seth looked as though he couldn't wrap his mind around this idea. He was still struggling to accept the idea of vampires in itself.

Mick moved Rory into his freezer, and then returned to the living room. He dug the bullet from Seth's wound, cleaned it, stitched it, and then wrapped it in bandages. Throughout this whole process, Mick and Beth explained to Seth what he didn't know about vampires. Seth seemed to relax a little after this conversation. After they had finished, it was about eleven o'clock at night. Mick showed Seth to where Rory was sleeping in the freezer, giving him a chair so that he could sit and wait for Rory to wake up.

Mick quietly walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. He crept to where Beth sat on the couch.

"Well?" Beth asked expectantly.

"Okay, so I was wrong. He wasn't a hunter. But his grandfather was. He could very well have been one." Mick replied.

"So what do you think now?" Beth asked him. Mick thought for a minute.

"I trust him." Mick said simply. "He had the chance to kill me, but he didn't." The enormity of this statement was not lost on Beth. Aside from her, Rory, and Josef, Mick didn't trust anyone. But somehow he trusted Seth.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Moonlight, anything that occurs in this fanfic from the show, or any of its characters. I do, however, own this plot and any characters I decide to throw in. Yayz!

Beth woke up just a few hours after she had finally gone to sleep. She kept her eyes closed, afraid that if she'd opened them, she would discover that it had all been a dream. Right up until the point where Seth had brought an injured Rory to Mick's apartment, it had been a wonderful night. She had finally persuaded Mick that it was possible for them to be together.

Then again, perhaps it _was_ all just a dream. Perhaps she would open her eyes to find herself in her own apartment, in her own bed, in the same frustrating situation as she had been in for months now.

She turned over and felt around beside her. The other side of the bed was empty. Her heart sank. Last night, Mick had lain down in bed with her as she had fallen asleep. If it hadn't been a dream, he would still be there. With a heavy sigh, she opened her eyes. She immediately felt excitement flare up within her once again. _She was in Mick's apartment! In Mick's bed!_ She looked over to where a large freezer had been moved into the room while she had slept. She smiled to herself, looking down to find herself wearing Mick's shirt. And, reaching up and placing a hand on her neck, she felt the fresh wounds from where he had bitten her last night. Yesterday actually had happened!

Flopping back down on the bed, Beth closed her eyes and relaxed, still smiling to herself, knowing that today would be the beginning of something wonderful.

Mick was on his way back to his apartment with food. Actual food. He hadn't been to a grocery store in god knows how long; after all, what use did he have for one. He couldn't help but reflect on how he missed the trivial things such as trips to the grocery store. People went on and on about it as though it was some sort of horrible, disgusting chore. But what they didn't realize was how, once it was no longer necessary, it became almost pleasurable.

He had stayed with Beth in his bed and held her until she had fallen asleep. Even after she had fallen asleep, he had stayed with her, simply revelling in her beauty as he watched her sleep. When he himself could no longer stave off exhaustion, he reluctantly pulled himself away from her, brought the guest freezer out, and fallen asleep.

He had woken up around 8 a.m. and found that Beth was still sleeping. After dressing, he crept out of the room and down the hall to where Rory was sleeping in his freezer. He peeked in to find Seth slumped over in his chair, fast asleep, and crept over to the freezer to check on Rory's condition. She was still unconscious.

There was no doubt in his mind that Seth was trustworthy. He had proven so to Mick last night. But Mick couldn't help feeling like he had to check in on Rory to make sure she was okay. Sure, he was overprotective. But he was Rory's friend. Her mentor. He had sworn to protect her.

Realizing for the first time that he had no food in the fridge and was entertaining humans who would no doubt wake up hungry, he had decided that he needed to make a trip to the grocery store to make sure that there was food available for when Seth and Beth finally woke up.

Mick grinned and looked over at the assortment of bags in his back seat. He hadn't been sure as to what they might like, so he'd bought an assorted variety of breakfast foods, hoping that they might eat at least something he'd bought.

Rory stirred, drawing in a deep, gasping breath. She wasn't quite sure exactly where she was or how she'd gotten there, but she did know that, wherever she was, it was cold. And comfortable. The last thing she remembered before she'd lost consciousness was seeing a man leap out of the bushes and pull a gun. He'd fired several bullets into her, and they'd burned. She'd felt like her entire body was on fire. The pain had been excruciating and agonizing. She had vamped out against her will. And Seth had seen! She remembered the fearful look in his eyes as he'd looked at her. Then, darkness enveloped her…

Rory sat up suddenly, opening her eyes as she did. As she hit her forehead painfully on something hard, she immediately wished she'd opened her eyes before sitting up. Bringing a hand up to rub her head, she looked down at herself. From what she could see, she was naked. She put her hand up to feel the glass she had hit her head on, and immediately realized where she must be. She was in a freezer! Pushing upward on the heavy glass door, Rory watched it swing open and heard it thud on the floor. She looked around her. She was in Mick's room, in Mick's apartment. But how had she gotten there?

Hearing a banging noise, Seth jolted awake. He looked around him, trying to figure out where the noise had come from, but couldn't see anything that might have made such a noise. He rubbed his eyes and looked at his watch. It was nearly ten in the morning. He was confused for the briefest of moments, looking around him, and in an instant everything came flooding back to him. Rory had been shot. He had brought her to Mick's. She was a vampire. Mick was a vampire. Mick had explained everything to him.

Seth rubbed the back of his neck, which was painfully stiff, and looked over at the giant freezer that stood before him. Rory apparently hadn't woken up yet.

Just as Seth was beginning to become concerned at the fact that she was still unconscious, the door of the freezer swung open unexpectedly, and Rory sat bolt upright. She seemed confused as she looked around the room. She seemed not to notice him.

"Rory!" Seth said, elated that she was, as far as he could tell, perfectly alright.

Rory looked over, surprised by the voice that had suddenly addressed her. She turned to look and found that the voice that had spoken was that of Seth.

"Seth!" Rory nearly yelled, shocked. "Wh-What are you doing here?" She crossed her arms over her bare chest, clearly mortified that he was there. Seth gave her an apologetic look and handed her the blanket he had used during the night. Rory reached out and grabbed it quickly, throwing it over herself.

"I had to stay with you to make sure you were okay." Seth said, looking at her. His eyes were concerned, and, she noticed, somewhat fearful. She mistook his concern and surprise for fear.

Coming to a sudden and horrifying realization as a strong wave of hunger hit her, Rory brought her hands up to her horrified face, only to find the sharp tips of her long, piercing fangs meet her fingertips. She immediately covered her face completely with her hands and turned quickly away from him.

"Don't look at me!" She cried, desperation and fear making themselves apparent in her voice. "Just stay away from me!"

"Rory…" Seth began, getting up from his chair and walking around the freezer. Her face had startled him initially, and it had shown in his eyes. He'd realized his mistake too late. He gently took hold of her wrists and brought her hands away from her face. She didn't fight him, but she turned away as soon as her hands had left it.

"Please, Seth! Go away!"

"Rory, look at me." Seth softly commanded. When she refused, he gently took hold of her face and turned it toward his. Her eyes were clamped tightly shut.

"Seth…don't look at me…I'm hideous; I'm…a MONSTER!" She said, her voice filled with self-loathing and sadness. A single tear escaped from one of her tightly closed eyes. She couldn't bear to look at him, to see the look of fear she'd seen in his eyes only moments before.

Seth took her face in his hands and used his thumb to wipe away the tear. "Rory, please look at me." He asked softly. He watched as she slowly opened her eyes, and gave her a smile as she did so. "Rory…you're not a monster…and you're not hideous. You're the most gorgeous creature I've ever seen in my life. I'm so sorry if I did anything to make you think any differently. It's just…" He paused. "…I'm not used to seeing you like this. It's going to take me a while to get used to. But believe me when I say this: It doesn't make me love you any less. You're still the Rory Callaghan I fell in love with. You're still the girl I just couldn't get out of my head after I rescued you that night. And no matter what you are, what you look like…you'll always be that girl."

Seth had thought long and hard about all of this last night. He had been unsure of how he'd felt after discovering that she was a vampire. But after he'd sat and thought long and hard about everything that had happened, he realized that he couldn't imagine his life without her. Human or vampire, she was still the girl of his dreams, the love of his life. No matter what, she would always be his Rory.

Rory looked at him, seeing the sincerity etched in his eyes. She smiled through her tears. "Really?"

"Of course." Seth soothed her. "Nothing in the world could ever possibly change that."

Seth leaned forward and pulled her into a hug. After a moment, he pulled away and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. Then he smiled at her.

"Well," he said. "I'm starving. How about you?"

Rory nodded. Seth pulled out a stack of clothes Mick had gone to get from Rory's apartment earlier that morning. He had watched as, around 8:30 a.m., Mick had crept into the room with the clothes. After that, he had gone back to sleep.

"Here. Why don't you get dressed, and I'll meet you downstairs. Okay?"

Again, Rory nodded at Seth. After he had left the room, Rory climbed out of her freezer and dressed quickly.

Making her way quickly down the stairs, Rory found that Seth, Mick, and Beth were already up and in the kitchen. Mick leaned against the counter, sipping away at a glass of blood. Seth was devouring some waffles with chocolate sauce and whipped cream, while Beth was eating a ham and cheese omelette. All of them looked up as Rory entered the small, crowded space.

"Glad to see you're feeling better." Mick commented with a grin, placing a tall glass of blood on the table in front of her. Rory knew Mick well enough to know that, despite his seemingly joking nature, it was actually a front to keep him from revealing too much emotion. Rory picked up the glass and gratefully downed half of its contents in one gulp.

"You gave us all a pretty good scare last night." Beth commented with a smile, though Rory could hear the seriousness of her tone.

Rory looked over at Seth, who simply smiled warmly back at her. He didn't say anything; he didn't need to. He had already said all that he'd needed to say.

For the rest of the morning, the four of them sat and chatted animatedly about anything and everything that came to mind. Rory looked around her at the room full of people laughing and joking and smiled to herself. She couldn't help but think that there was no place on earth right now that she'd rather be than right here; surrounded by people she cared about, who accepted her as she was, laughing and chatting without a care in the world. For the first time in months, she felt as though she had nothing to hide from.

AN: Don't worry people…this is not the end…there's still quite a bit to come. I felt that this was an important chapter to get in, though, because the next chapter takes place nearly a year into the future. I know it may seem a bit unrealistic that Seth and Mick just automatically became friends, and that Mick just instantly trusts Seth, but hey, this is my story, and I can do what I want with it. I like to think that Mick and Seth come to a mutual understanding, which is what helps them to form their immediate friendship. Now that Mick knows he can trust Seth, there is nothing really standing in the way of them becoming friends. So yeah, I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and please tell me what you think. I look forward to your reviews!

Luvz, Cat.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Moonlight, anything that occurs in this fanfic from the show, or any of its characters. I do, however, own this plot and any characters I decide to throw in. Yayz!

AN: Okay, so just a few things I'd like to mention here. First of all, thank you all for the wonderful, encouraging reviews I've been receiving. It means a lot to me that you enjoy my writing so much and continue to follow the story. Secondly, I know that I tend to jump around a lot with the time line. I realize that it gets sort of confusing when I jump a few months into the future every few chapters. There is a method to my madness, though. You see, rather than have everything take place in an overwhelmingly short space of time, I skip the insignificant details that take place in between and skip to the action of the story. It would be very long and dragged out if I were to fill in all of the details about what happens in between each space in time, and it would eventually get boring and you wouldn't want to read. Therefore, I make sure that everything that takes place is spread out over a believable amount of time, but at the same time, I'm not dragging it out and boring you all to death. This is the easiest way for me to keep the plot going. Finally, this chapter is a Christmas-themed chapter. I know it's kind of late, but I had been meaning to work this in, and I couldn't put it in until now, simply because of the basis of the plot. So, here you go. Better late than never. And don't worry. Things will get _very_ interesting from here. This chapter sort of marks the beginning of the end of the story in my mind. But never fear; I have ideas circling in my head for a sequel. So, based on how many people would like to see a sequel after this story has ended, I may or may not continue with this plot. Anyway, enough of my incessant noise-making. Here's chapter 16!

About a year had passed since that fateful night when Seth had become privy to the existence of the vampire world. It had taken some time, but he had managed to completely accept and even embrace the existence of vampires. He and Rory had since moved in together, and were happier and more in love than they'd ever been.

Mick and Beth's relationship had also evolved in the year that had passed, although Mick had taken a long time to finally ask Beth to move in with him.

A lot had happened in the past year. Mick and Beth had done several investigations, many of which had involved vampires, and even Rory and Seth had gotten in on the action. They had all become extremely close friends, what with everything they'd been through together.

Probably the most significant occurrence had been when Mick and Seth had taught Rory and Beth to fight. As Beth would never stay out of harm's way, and Mick had found himself having to save Rory's ass from another vampire more than once, Mick and Seth had decided that the women learn how to fight. Mick had been Rory's trainer, simply because he knew that Seth would be no match for the female vampire, and Seth had taught Beth. Both women had become extremely good fighters, thanks to their highly skilled instructors, and could even outmatch their respective fighting partners. When Beth had first learned to pin Seth easily to the ground, Mick had laughed hysterically at him…until Rory had done the very same thing to him. It was a long-running joke now that Rory and Beth were "The Terminators."

Presently, Rory and Seth were preparing to head over to Mick and Beth's apartment. It was Christmas Eve, and after a week of arguments as to where the festivities would be held, it had finally been agreed that Mick and Beth would host the celebrations this year. Rory and Seth would have next year.

"Rory!" Seth called from outside the bathroom door. "Rory! For God's sake hurry up! You've been in there for over an hour, and I still have to shave."

"ALRIGHT! JUST GIVE ME A MINUTE!" Rory called back through the door, putting the final touches on her makeup.

Seth just sighed. "Come on Rory! You said that half an hour ago. Look, you're gorgeous, okay? You can just go as you are."

The door swung open to reveal Rory, dressed in figure-hugging jeans and a low-cut, V-neck black shirt. The sleeves of the shirt came down to her hands, where her thumbs poked through neat and intentional holes in the sides. The sleeves seemed to be almost detached from the rest of the shirt, as her shoulders were exposed. She wore her usual stylish black fedora hat to complete the look.

Seth just stared in awe, his mouth slightly open. Rory smiled and approached him, kissing him softly on the lips.

"Bathroom's all yours." She said, grinning at the look of shock on his face. Then, still smiling to herself, she walked off to wait for Seth to shave.

MLMLMLML

"Mick! Mick, where are the Christmas decorations!" Beth yelled from upstairs, where she was digging through a closet. She had moved in less than a month ago. Mick groaned. He knew he'd forgotten something.

Within seconds, Mick had raced up the stairs and stood behind Beth. He began to speak, and she jumped, whirling around. Mick smiled at the look of annoyance in her eyes.

"Damnit, Mick! You know how much I hate it when you sneak up behind me like that!"

"Mhmm." Mick said simply before placing a quick kiss on her lips. She couldn't help but smile at this. She knew she couldn't stay mad at him for long, especially when he kissed her like that. She silently cursed herself as she repeated her question.

"So? Where are the decorations?"

"Well…" Mick began. Beth just stared at him expectantly. He sighed. "I don't have any. Usually, I don't bother with Christmas. I haven't since I was turned. I haven't really had a reason to before now."

Beth didn't know whether she should pity him or feel honoured that she was the reason he was celebrating this year. There was also an annoyed part of her that felt an overwhelming urge to smack him.

"Why didn't you tell me? I could have gone out and bought some!" She said, annoyance making itself known in her voice. Mick looked at her sheepishly.

"I'd planned on picking some up earlier, but I guess I forgot. I'll go get some now. There should still be some stores open. It's only five o'clock."

"Well hurry up. Rory and Seth will be here shortly, and I think Josef is planning on showing up around eight."

Mick smiled and placed another chaste kiss on Beth's lips before running downstairs and out the door, grabbing his jacket, sunglasses, and car keys as he went.

MLMLMLML

Mick had arrived back home with a wide assortment of decorations, as well as some food for Beth and Seth. He handed the decorations to Beth, who took them and decorated the apartment in about twenty minutes. Then she put all of the ornaments Mick had bought on the small plastic tree that Beth had brought with her when she'd moved in. Then, stepping back to stand beside Mick, she admired her handiwork.

Mick stared around him in awe at his transformed apartment. Where there had been no sign of the holidays only twenty minutes before, there were now wreaths and mistletoe and tinsel scattered tastefully around the living room. He smiled at Beth, looking at her in awe. She had given him back one of the things he missed most about being human; a reason to celebrate. He had to swallow the lump that rose in his throat, threatening to make tears fall from his eyes.

Beth looked over at Mick and saw him staring at her intensely.

"What?" She asked with a chuckle, grinning back at him. It took Mick a moment to gather himself enough to be able to answer.

"It's beautiful." Mick replied, and then added, "You're beautiful."

Beth grinned sheepishly at him. Mick grabbed her hand and dragged her under the mistletoe.

"I love you Beth." He said, looking into her blue eyes with wonder. "You've made me the happiest I've ever been. You've given me my life back."

Beth looked deeply into his dark eyes and found herself hard-pressed to find the right words to reply. What he'd said had taken her breath away. For the first time in her life Beth Turner, the woman who had a reply to everything, was speechless. She just smiled and said the first words that came to mind.

"The stuffing's burning."

Thankfully, Mick understood her silence and then her sudden random outburst. He quirked an eyebrow at her, fighting the urge to laugh. Beth looked immediately mortified. She felt the sudden urge to smack herself. Had she actually just said that?!

"Oh my god! Please tell me I didn't just say that?" She groaned. Mick smiled, thinking to himself how sexy she looked when she was embarrassed.

"It's okay Beth." He laughed. Beth looked him in the eye and tried once again to speak, hopefully coherently this time.

"I love you too, Mick."

Mick looked at her with devotion in his eyes, then gestured up at the mistletoe. She smiled, reaching her hands up around his neck and pulling him down into a passionate, dizzying kiss.

They kissed for about five minutes, caught up in their own little world. They were interrupted by a knock on the door. They pulled apart just far enough to look at each other, then Mick leaned his forehead against Beth's.

"I guess we should get that, huh?" He asked with one of his trademark, knee-weakening smiles. Sighing, Beth agreed. She walked over to the door and, without bothering to look at the screen on the wall, opened it. Rory and Seth greeted her, as she had expected.

"Hey!" Rory said with a smile, rushing forward to hug Beth. Beth smiled and hugged her back. Mick came up behind Beth and smiled.

"Hey Seth. Good to see you!"

"Hey Mick. Good to see you too." Seth grinned, extending his hand. Mick waved it away and hugged him. Seth grinned, and as Mick let go of him he walked into the apartment.

"Wow. Nicely decorated." Rory commented, admiring the Christmas decor as she let go of Beth and looked around the apartment. Mick smiled to himself as she said this.

"It was all Beth." He said simply. "God knows I'm hopeless when it comes to decorating."

"Obviously." Seth said, rolling his eyes and gesturing around the stylish apartment. The four of them broke into laughter. Then there came a sudden and annoying beeping sound, followed by the smell of smoke.

"The stuffing. Oh, shit!" Beth cried, racing into the kitchen. Rory laughed and followed quickly behind.

Seth stayed behind in the living room with Mick. After a moment of silence, Seth handed Mick a handful of large gift bags.

"I come bearing presents." He said with a laugh.

"Thanks." Mick said, taking the bags. "You know you didn't have to."

"Of course we had to." Seth said with a smile. "Besides, Rory took full advantage of the excuse to go shopping!"

They shared a laugh. Mick then stooped to put the gift bags under the tree.

"Hey Seth, you want a drink?" Mick asked him.

"Please!" Seth said, laughing. Mick handed him a glass of scotch, which he accepted gratefully. Mick grabbed a glass of blood and, seating himself in a comfortable armchair, began chatting animatedly with Seth.

MLMLMLML

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Beth was looking at the stuffing with dismay. It was black. Rory couldn't help but laugh.

"Poor innocent stuffing. Never had a chance, did it?" She asked. Beth shot her a look. Sighing and grumbling to herself, Beth dumped the inedible stuffing into the trash and was going to start again.

"Whoa, hold on there!" Rory said, grabbing an apron and rolling up her sleeves. She couldn't help but poke a little more fun at Beth's inability to cook. "For the love of God, step away from the stove before you commit any more crimes against nature!"

Beth scowled at her and stepped aside, pouring herself a glass of wine. Rory stepped in front of the stove and began throwing together ingredients. Having grown up with a chef for an uncle, she'd learned quite a bit about how to cook.

MLMLMLML

About an hour or so after the burned stuffing incident, the four of them finally sat down around the table. Seth sat beside Rory on one side of the table, while Mick and Beth sat side-by-side on the other side. The feast was small, as only Seth and Beth would be eating any of the food. Mick and Rory had a pitcher of blood, drinking it from wine glasses. It was about six-thirty, and as they sat there, they talked and laughed and simply enjoyed themselves in general. Somehow, during the course of the conversation, they got onto the topic of names.

"So, Rory. We're all dying to know. What's Rory short for, anyway?" Beth asked between mouthfuls of turkey.

Rory sighed. "I knew this day would come." Everyone looked at her expectantly, so she continued, taking a deep breath. "It's short for Aurora. My full name's Aurora Marie Rochelle Callaghan."

There was silence for a moment, then Beth began to snicker. Within seconds, everyone at the table was laughing hysterically. Everyone except Rory, that was.

"Yeah, yeah…laugh it up. I blame my parents. Them and their sick and twisted sense of humour. They named me after a small town in Ontario. Actually, it was where I was born." She grinned. Everyone stopped laughing and looked at her.

"Wait…" Mick began, looking at her. "You're Canadian?"

"Uh, yeah…" Rory said. They all burst into laughter again. "Okay, Mick. It's your turn. What's _your_ full name?" Rory asked, in the hopes of deflecting the attention from her own name.

"Michael Noah St. John." Mick replied simply, a wide smile on his face.

"Okay…" Rory said. "How about you, Beth?"

"Elizabeth Madison Turner." Beth said. Mick laughed. "Elizabeth?"

Beth scowled. "It's better than Michael!"

"Ouch." Mick replied, feigning hurt.

"So what about you, Seth." Beth asked. "What's your full name?"

Seth looked uncomfortable for a minute. "Actually…" he said, a small smile spreading across his face. "Seth is my middle name." Everyone looked at him, clearly expecting him to go on. He sighed. "My name is really Dante. Dante Clay Seth Masters." He paused for a moment, before adding, "The third."

Everyone was silent for a moment. Then Rory spoke up. "So in other words, I'm the only person here that doesn't have a somewhat normal name."

They all laughed. Then Seth spoke up. "Actually, I don't have a normal name. That's why I go by Seth."

"What are you talking about?" Rory asked, clearly stunned. "Dante's a perfectly normal name. I have no idea why you wouldn't want to use it. In fact, I think it's an even better name than Seth!"

"Yeah." Beth agreed. "You really should consider going by Dante."

"Nah." Seth said, shaking his head. He looked to Mick for support. Support that he should have known he wouldn't get.

"I agree with them." Mick said, smiling. "You should go by Dante. It'd be a lot less confusing that way. Seth and Beth just sound too close together."

Everybody shared a laugh. Then they went on to another topic of discussion.

MLMLMLML

After dinner, Josef finally showed up. It was close to eight-thirty p.m.

"Josef!" Mick greeted, shaking his hand and clapping him on the back. Josef grinned.

"Hey Mick. Hey Beth. Hey Rory." He paused for a moment before giving his final, somewhat cold greeting. "Hello Seth."

"Hi Josef." Seth said, nearly as coldly. He unconsciously wrapped an arm around Rory's waist as Josef just stared.

Mick couldn't help but chuckle to himself. All in all, despite the coldness between them, Seth and Josef had managed to overcome a lot of their opposition in the last year. In fact, Mick was almost sure that, under different circumstances, Seth and Josef might actually be good friends at this point. The only thing stopping this from happening was the fact that Josef had developed an infatuation with Rory, one that Seth had noticed immediately, and it had created tension between him and Josef.

At least they got along better now than they had before. Mick remembered all too well the day he'd informed Josef about Seth…

MLMLMLML

"What do you mean, this guy knows about us?!" Josef demanded angrily, pacing back and forth in front of Mick. "I must say, Mick, that, all in all, you've gotten a bit too liberal with our secret. You're letting far too many humans into the loop. I had a hard enough time with the fact that you told Beth our secret, and now you've gone ahead and told another guy!"

"It's not like I had much of a choice, Josef…either time. Beth walked in on me while I was feeding-"

"All the more reason to learn to lock the door behind you-"

"And Seth brought Rory back to my place after she'd been shot. She'd vamped out. I could hardly just tell him to ignore the fangs!" Mick continued as though Josef hadn't interrupted.

"Which brings me to my next point…if you had suspected this Seth guy of being a hunter, why were you letting Rory spend so much time around him? Furthermore, why didn't you just waste him like I told you to?" Josef asked, clearly becoming annoyed.

"Because, Josef. Unlike you, I have a problem with killing an innocent party. He's not a hunter. He had the chance to kill me, Josef. And he didn't."

"But he threatened you, Mick! Why didn't you kill him right then and there?"

"Because he was just a scared, confused kid. He was reacting instinctively. He was only trying to protect himself!"

But his grandfather was a hunter, right? Do you have any idea how dangerous information like that is in the hands of someone related to a hunter?! I'm just as opposed to killing those who don't ask for it as you are, Mick. But a human's a small price to pay to ensure our secrecy. And safety."

"I trust him Josef!" Mick nearly yelled. "And Rory trusts him. And he hasn't done anything yet to make me think I shouldn't. That should be enough for you."

"Not when it comes to our secret. To something as crucial as this!" Josef hissed. "You act without thinking of the consequences, Mick! You have no idea the position you've put us in by letting this guy live!"

"I do know, Josef. And I take full responsibility for whatever happens because of this. He's my problem. And he's under my protection." Mick said in a stern voice.

Josef stopped pacing and thought about what Mick had said. "Fine. But I hope you're right about this guy, Mick. Because the moment I her even a whisper, a rumour about our existence, I'll come after him and kill him myself. And then I'll have no choice but to punish you. You're my best friend, but when it comes to something as important as this, I can only protect you so much. Am I clear?"

"Crystal. Thanks, Josef. Nothing will happen. I promise you."

"For your sake, Mick, I hope you're right."

MLMLMLML

Thinking about it, Mick realized that Josef had warmed up at least somewhat to the idea of Seth. After all, Seth was still alive and breathing. And they were even civil to each other, despite the fact that they weren't the best of friends.

Mick smiled and offered Josef a drink. Then, all five of them sat down in the living room and exchanged presents. Mick was in awe at the gift he received from Rory and Seth; a beautiful black acoustic guitar. After they had all finished their exchange, Mick began to sing and play, entertaining everyone with various holiday tunes and other songs.

MLMLMLML

The rest of the evening was spent doing various things…chatting, watching movies, playing cards, etc.

Twelve o'clock found Rory and Seth snuggled up together on Mick's couch, watching the movie Underworld. Rory couldn't help pointing out all of the inaccuracies of the movie, while Seth just smiled and nodded. Then, at one scene in the movie, Rory suddenly paused it, on a close-up shot of one of the characters, a vampire named Erika. Seth at Rory in confusion as she called Beth into the room.

Hearing Rory call her, Beth came into the living room.

"What is it?" She asked. She was drying her hands on a dishtowel, having been washing dishes when she had been called.

"Take a look at this!" Rory said, gesturing to the paused screen. Beth just looked at it with a blank stare.

"So?" She asked, clearly unaffected by what she was seeing. "I've seen this movie a couple of times. It's pretty good."

"No!" Rory said, looking from Beth to the screen and back. "Look at that actress! She looks exactly like you! You could be her twin!"

Beth looked closely at the screen. Perhaps there may have been some similarities between herself and the woman onscreen, but she wasn't sure about twins.

"No." Beth said simply, shaking her head. "What are you talking about? She looks nothing like me."

"Well…" Seth began, looking back and forth between Beth and the screen. He could see where Rory was coming from.

Beth looked once more at the screen before shaking her head again. "Nah. Definitely not." She said.

"Whatever." Said Rory, clearly giving up and turning back to the TV.

MLMLMLML

At about one o'clock in the morning, everyone decided that it was time to finally end the festivities. All in all, it had been a pretty good night. Except, maybe, when Josef had gotten Rory under the mistletoe. Rory smiled and gave him a quick kiss, while Seth sat fuming in the corner. After which, Josef had shot Seth a smug smile.

For a while, Mick had been concerned that they would erupt in a fistfight, and he would have to break it up. Not that Seth would be any match for Josef. Mick knew he'd have the most trouble keeping Josef from killing Seth if a fight broke out between them. But, with a little help from Rory, Seth and Josef had smoothed things out by the end of the evening. She had finally understood what had been causing the tension between Seth and Josef, and decided that she needed to set things straight. Rory had spoken to Josef in private, telling him that there could never be anything more than friendship between them.

"Not even a chance?" Josef asked, only half-joking. Rory looked at him with a pitied expression.

"I'm sorry, Josef. I never meant to lead you to believe I felt that way about you. But I'm in love with Seth. Nothing can change that. Besides," She grinned at him, pulling him into a hug, "you're like the older brother I never had."

Josef had still looked hurt, but had nodded and smiled in response. After that, he had shocked everyone by apologizing to Seth.

"Look…I guess we sort of got off on the wrong foot. Maybe we can just put this all behind us?" Josef had said, extending his hand to Seth. Seth had looked somewhat suspicious, but had taken the offered hand.

"Yeah. I guess so." He'd said.

After that, there had been no further problems between Seth and Josef. In fact, by the end of the evening, they had even begun to behave somewhat amiably toward each other. And even though they weren't exactly the best of friends, it was a step in the right direction.

When the evening's festivities finally drew to a close, the five people had gathered in a circle in the middle of the living room, making a final holiday toast. Beth held a glass of wine, while Seth had in his hand a glass of eggnog. Rory, Mick, and Josef all held in their hands glasses filled with blood. Mick began the toast.

"I'd like to thank you guys for coming here tonight and helping me to celebrate the holidays. This is the first time in a long time I've cared enough to bother to celebrate. So here's to the holidays!" He raised his glass in one hand and put his other arm around Beth's waist, pulling her closer to him. Beth just looked up into his eyes and smiled. He looked back down into hers and grinned.

Josef raised his glass and continued the toast. "Here's to new beginnings." He said. He and Seth shared a look of understanding. Seth gave Josef a silent nod and everybody smiled.

It was Seth's turn to say something. Raising his own glass and looking at Josef, he said, "To friendship!"

It was Josef's turn to give Seth a nod. They both smiled and shook hands with heart-warming sincerity. Now that Josef knew where he stood with Rory, knew that there was no contest between him and Seth for her affections, he realized that there was no reason to continue the bitter feud between them. Besides, he knew that Rory would want them to be friends. And considering the fact that their secret hadn't gotten out, Seth had proven himself more than trustworthy over the past year. Seth was glad to be able to end the bitterness and tension between them.

"Here's to love!" Beth said, raising her glass and smiling up at Mick. Mick beamed back at her.

Rory stood silent for a moment, thinking of the perfect thing to say. After a minute or so, she smiled and raised her glass.

"To making out in the rain!" She said with a mischievous grin. Everybody looked at her. "What?" She asked defensively, "I can't help it if it's hot!"

Everyone suddenly burst into laughter. Mick smiled a contented smile to himself, looking at the group of people surrounding him. He was happier now, in this moment, surrounded by people close to him, than he'd been in nearly 60 years. Once everyone had quieted down, Mick cleared his throat. He decided on the perfect toast to finish off the evening.

"To family." He said meaningfully, giving Beth a squeeze and looking around at everyone. It was completely silent for a moment. The impact of this statement was lost on no one.

"To family!" The other four chimed in. They all clinked their glasses together and drank. Mick just looked around him for the millionth time that evening. He was truly happy. Everything was peaceful. Little did he know, however, that this peace wouldn't last very long. In fact, this peace wouldn't even last until the end of the week...

To Be Continued…

AN: Muahahahaha! Me and my evil cliffies again! Grins Evilly So, I hope you all enjoyed that chapter. Despite the fact that it's several weeks late. Sigh Anyway, this is the last chapter that Seth will officially be known as Seth. After this chapter, he'll be called by his first name, Dante. Speaking of names, I actually had fun with some of the names in this chapter. Especially with Aurora. If you look up the name Aurora, you'll find a rather cool irony that I hadn't planned on when I had named her. Also, if you look up Dante, Clay, and I guess perhaps even Seth, you'll also find cool stuff. Maybe even hints as to what I plan to do with his character. Wink wink, nudge nudge. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter…It certainly took me long enough to write. But for you dedicated fans, it was a labour of love on my part. Please feel free to review and to tell me what you think. I'm dying to hear from you. It keeps my confidence up. Keeps me happy. Keeps me in a mood to write. So, anyway, look forward to hearing from you!

Luvz, Cat.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Moonlight, anything that occurs in this fanfic from the show, or any of its characters. I do, however, own this plot and any characters I decide to throw in. Yayz!

The week that had passed since Christmas Eve had been relatively peaceful. Mick was thankful for he fact that even the crime rate had taken a break for the holidays. No new cases had been brought to his attention, and he even had time to work on some of the ongoing ones.

Currently, Mick sat at his desk, going over his notes on the case of the hunter that was running loose in L.A. Even after a year, not to mention dozens of vampire slayings (Good, respectable vampires, to make matters worse), he was no closer to finding the culprit than he had been on the night Rory had been shot. He, Rory, Josef, Dante (Seth had finally given up on being called Seth and let them call him by his first name), and Beth had all been on edge because of the vampire slayings. They were definitely very careful nowadays as to what they said and to whom. They knew that the only people they could trust completely were each other.

Mick gave a frustrated sigh, tossing the file haphazardly on top of his desk and rubbing his eyes. He looked ruefully at the clock on his desk and groaned. It was noon, and Beth wouldn't be home for a few hours; he should be sleeping right now. But with New Year's approaching, and the fact that he was nowhere near close to catching the culprit for the vampire killings, let alone the ever-elusive vampire Jeff, he felt the need to stave off sleep and keep going over his case files, in the hopes that he might find something that might lead him to solve one or both of these cases.

Anger bubbled up in Mick as he thought about Jeff. The vampire that had turned an innocent girl against her will. The vampire that had attacked the woman he loved. The vampire that had continued killing women for the past two years. The vampire he was nowhere near finding.

Mick gritted his teeth. He had a score to settle with Jeff. The last time he'd seen him was the night Jeff had attacked Beth. Mick had sworn revenge on him. He'd half-hoped that, one of these days, the hunter circulating L.A. might kill Jeff, finally doing something right and ridding the world of a truly evil vampire, rather than the decent vampires they'd killed so far. But there was no such luck.

Mick finally decided that he needed a good rest before continuing to read over his files. Perhaps, looking at his notes with a fresh mind, he might be able to spot something he was missing in his sleep-deprived state. He sighed, got up from his desk, and went to go lay down in his freezer. He had time to kill before Beth would be home. He might as well take advantage of it.

Stripping down, Mick climbed into his freezer, allowing himself a satisfied sigh as he settled in. Sleep overtook him almost immediately after he settled down into the freezer.

MLMLMLML

As Rory climbed out of her freezer at home, she glanced at the clock. It was nearly eight o'clock at night. And the apartment was still empty. There was no sign that Dante had even been there since she'd gone to sleep.

She got up quickly and dressed. She wandered through the hallway in her apartment and into the kitchen, using the remote to reveal her hidden refrigerator. She pulled out a blood packet (O , her favourite) and drank it down quickly. She then crossed into the living room and turned on the TV, waiting for Dante to return home from his first-year med school classes…

MLMLMLML

Mick awoke to a sensation that something was horribly wrong. He wasn't sure how he knew that something wasn't quite right, but he knew nonetheless. He checked the clock. Eight o'clock. Beth wasn't due home for at least another half hour. She should just be leaving work by now. He couldn't help worrying about her. The uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach only intensified as he thought of Beth. He prayed to God she was alright. Climbing out of his freezer and quickly dressing, he ran downstairs just as his home phone rang…

MLMLMLML

Rory was watching the TV, engrossed in her favourite TV show, Supernatural. She glanced at the clock again; mildly concerned about the fact that Dante still hadn't shown up. She was becoming a little annoyed, even. What the hell was keeping him?

She turned and glanced quickly around her as she heard her cell phone ring. She finally spotted it sitting on the coffee table in front of her. She grabbed it quickly, expecting to see Dante's number on the caller ID. She was more than slightly annoyed to see that it was Mick, and she made it clear in her voice as she answered the phone.

"Hello?" She snapped. She knew she probably shouldn't have directed her frustrations toward Mick, but she couldn't help it. For some strange reason, she was very on edge at the moment, and she was becoming angry with Dante for not bothering to call her to tell her he'd be late. There was silence on the other end of the line. This was immediately sobering. Mick never called without a reason, and if he wasn't speaking, something must be horribly wrong. By now, she knew him well enough to be able to sense when he was troubled, even over the phone.

"Mick?" She asked, her voice sounding concerned. "Mick? What's wrong? Is everything alright?"

After what seemed like an eternity, Mick drew in a shaky breath, attempting to say something. Rory knew from the sound that, whatever Mick had to say to her, it didn't bode well. After a final moment of silence, he finally spoke.

"You need to get over here. Now. There's something you should hear."

With that, Mick simply hung up. Rory's unease evolved into full-blown panic. Obviously something was very wrong, and she needed to find out what. Grabbing her car keys and cell phone, Rory headed quickly out the door.

MLMLMLML

Mick just stood by the answering machine, shock and fear engulfing him. He didn't move, barely breathed, just stood there, as though in a trance.

Mick was still standing like that when Rory burst through the door of the apartment. She didn't even bother knocking. Finding the door locked upon arrival, she simply fished out the emergency key Mick and Bath had given to her and Dante and opened it. Seeing Mick standing like that did nothing to ease Rory's fears. In fact, if her undead heart could beat, she was sure it would most likely end up bursting out of her chest.

Walking over to Mick, Rory waved a hand in front of his face; drawing his attention away from the spot on the floor he had been staring unblinkingly at. He looked up into her face, a mixture of terror, pain, and sorrow on his face.

As Mick looked into Rory's terrified, icy blue eyes, he felt a pang of guilt rise up in him. He swallowed back the tears that threatened to fall. He should have protected them. He should have caught him. Now…

Brushing some of her long, jet-black hair out of her eyes, Rory looked at Mick and felt an extraordinarily potent wave of fear sweep over her, threatening to send her over the edge. Mick looked as though he were ready to break down. She could feel Mick's weakness. Mick wasn't one to break like that. He was the one constantly in control of the situation. If he were about to break, then whatever had happened was bad. Really bad.

"Mick?" Rory asked, fear clearly filling her voice. Mick just looked at her and gestured to the answering machine. Rory approached it, hesitating before playing back the message recorded there. She wasn't completely sure if she wanted to hear it.

As soon as she'd pressed the play button, a cold, cruel voice filled the air. A familiar voice, Rory noted. She knew immediately whose it was. It was the voice that had haunted her nightmares for the past two years, ever since she'd been turned. A voice that sent shivers down her spine the moment she heard it. It was Jeff.

"_Hello Mr. St. John. And, of course, hello Rory. I'm assuming that you both probably remember me very well. At least I should hope so. Especially you, dear Rory. Anyway, I suppose I should get straight down to business. You see, I was rather affronted by the both of you at our last meeting. Quite frankly, I felt rather spurned. After all, Rory, I am your sire. I felt I deserved slightly more respect than you cared to show me. And Mick, bursting in like that, interrupting my meal…you know how impolite it is to disturb a feeding vamp…" There was a pause. "Needless to say that, after much thought, I decided that I needed to set things straight. After trailing you both for quite some time, I realized where your true weaknesses lay; in your worthless human companions. So, to teach you both a little lesson on common courtesy, I've taken your precious humans." He gave a quiet chuckle and allowed another voice to fill the line. "MICK! HELP US! PLEASE!" Beth screamed, sobbing. There was a sound like fist meeting flesh and there was deathly silence once more. "Now, Mick. I believe you have something I want. And just to make things perfectly clear to you, I __always__ get what I want." There was a short silence before Jeff continued. "Bring the girl to the abandoned Jackson butchery at midnight. Come alone and unarmed. And Rory, you will co-operate. Unless you want the deaths of the pathetic humans to be on you. If you decide not to show, or if you bring any uninvited guests…consider the humans dead."_

With a final, chilling laugh, the line went dead. Fear rose in Rory's throat as she looked at the clock. It was nearly nine. Midnight was fast approaching.

"Well?" She said, looking at Mick expectantly. Her fear ran rampant through her, although her iron will overpowered it. "What are we waiting for? We have to go!"

Mick just looked at her sadly. "That message is from nearly an hour ago. For all we know, they're dead. And if we go, we're most definitely walking into a trap." He paused, turning around and pacing the floor. He ran a hand through his hair, fighting back tears. "I can't hand you over, Rory. I swore to protect you. Just like I swore to protect Beth." He walked over to a wall and slammed a fist through it. Rory was startled. She'd never seen him lose it like this. He looked back at her, guilt an self-loathing written across his face. "If I'd just protected them, if I'd just done my job and caught that son of a bitch, we wouldn't be in this mess right now! It's all my fault! And now, they're as good as dead!" He yelled, tears beginning to fall from his eyes. He let out a frustrated, enraged howl and upturned his sofa. Rory just stared at him.

"We don't know for sure that they're dead." She said, as calmly as she could muster. "And we know what he wants. He wants me. If I just give myself up, maybe…"

"He has no intention of letting them go." Mick said weakly, leaning against a wall and sliding down to sit on the floor. "I failed. I failed them. My family. And if I let you turn yourself over to him, I'd be failing you too."

Rory allowed anger to fill her. At least the anger was easier to deal with than the fear she was feeling right now.

"Look Mick." She said sternly, commanding his attention. He snapped his head up to look at her, seeing the pure fiery determination that filled her eyes. "You haven't truly failed them unless you give up on them. I, for one, am not about to let him kill them without a fight. I'm going, whether you come with me or not. Although I could really use an extra set of fangs to watch my back. Now, are you coming, or what?"

Mick just looked at her. "I don't know if I'm strong enough to handle the possibility of losing you. Or Dante. And especially not Beth. You're my family." He said sadly, shaking his head. Rory walked over to him and knelt down beside him and put a hand on his chin, forcing his eyes up to meet hers.

"You haven't lost us yet. But by just sitting here and wallowing in your own self-pity, you're guaranteeing their death sentence. And mine. Because I'm not going to sit here and watch them die, and god damn it, I'll die trying to save them. So are you coming, or do I have to drag your sorry ass behind me?"

Mick looked up into the eyes of the woman kneeling before him. The younger sister he'd never had. His protégé. He was afraid of losing her, on top of Dante, who was practically his brother, and Beth, the love of his life. She radiated raw determination, and something in him was inspired to follow her example. She was right. Now was not the time to lose it, to give up. He nodded, allowing Rory to pull him up from off of the floor.

"Good." Rory said. She grabbed her jacket and keys and walked out of the door, trying not to let herself feel the apprehension that threatened to overtake her. She knew there was no way that Mick was going to let her hand herself over. But she knew she had no other option. And if it meant saving Beth and Dante, then so be it.

MLMLMLML

Rory pulled the car into the parking lot of the designated rendezvous place. She cut the engine, sitting in the driver's seat, gripping the wheel as though preparing herself. After taking a deep breath, she looked over at Mick, who sat in the passenger seat. Mick looked back at her.

"You ready?" He asked, looking concerned. Rory nodded slowly.

"As ready as I'll ever be." She replied with a weak smile. They both nodded to each other and got out of the car. They approached the entrance of the building and were immediately ambushed by armed guards. _Human_ armed guards, to be specific. And they were armed with large quantities of silver. Mick and Rory could smell the horrible stench radiating off of them and fought the urge to vomit. The mere smell of silver was enough to turn a vamp's stomach easily.

The guns the guards carried, which were obviously modified to fire silver bullets, were aimed directly at the two vampires. Rory and Mick raised their hands in surrender, and after they were given a quick pat down by two of the guards, they were deemed to be 'clean' and led into the building. Rory and Mick were led through a confusing series of twisting hallways, deep into the heart of the building, until they were brought to an old, sub-standard looking elevator shaft. They were ushered into the elevator and taken to the very bottom floor, the basement of the building, several stories below ground level.

As the armed guards ushered them into the enormous room that made up the bottom floor of the building, Rory caught the scent of fresh blood. More specifically, Dante and Beth's fresh blood. Listening closely, she was relieved to find an additional two heartbeats added to those of the guards that had ushered them down there. Apparently, Mick sensed the additional heartbeats as well, judging by the look of relief that swept over his face.

Taking a quick glance around the room, Rory took in their setting. The room had seemed to be a large storage area at some point, but it had fallen apart over the years since it had been used. The entire room was cold, almost like a giant freezer, and everywhere Rory looked there were bits of broken rubble strewn across the floor. There were several small, thin copper pipes sticking out from the cracked foundation around the room. There were several old, rusted barrels marked 'flammable' scattered around the room. The place seemed to be held up by the concrete pillars placed strategically around the room. Old, grimy chains hung from the ceiling. _Figures_, thought Rory. _What better place to hold someone against their will than a spooky, dishevelled old abandoned building. Why can't people ever hold someone at a classy five-star hotel or something?_.

"Well, well, well. Look who decided to show up!" Jeff's voice rang out from across the enormous room, magnified several times by the echo it produced. The guards shoved Mick and Rory forward roughly, forcing them into a kneeling position on the ground, guns trained on them.

"What made you think we wouldn't?" Rory asked politely. Jeff smiled cruelly.

"Well," He began, gesturing lazily over to two of the pillars to his right. "It appears that your filthy human lapdog here was under the impression that you wouldn't make an appearance."

Rory looked over to where he'd gestured, and a horrible sight met her eyes. Chained to the pillars with some of the rusty, grimy old chains that hung scattered around the room were Beth and Dante. Beth looked to be the less injured of the two. Her left ankle stuck out at an odd angle, her feet dangling just under a foot off the ground. Her face bore signs of a recent and brutal beating, bruises welling up on her face, one eye blackened, and there was a deep gash above her left eye that was bleeding profusely. Her arms, chained above her head, were covered in blood that had dripped down from her wrists, which bore deep cuts from attempting to struggle out of the chains that bound her. Rory could sense the intense pain she was in at the moment due to her injuries, but her injuries were minor compared to those of Seth.

Seth's wrists, like Beth's, were chained above his head, holding him several inches off the ground. And, like Beth's, his also bore the abuse of the chains that had cut into his skin in futile attempts to break his bonds. His face, though, unlike Beth's, had been beaten to the point where it was almost completely unrecognizable. It was cut in several places, blood pouring down onto his torn t-shirt. His face was swollen, with bruises and welts obscuring his normally handsome features. His left eye was swollen completely shut, while his right was bruised and showing some signs of swelling. His stomach, which was exposed through the numerous gaping tears in his shirt, was nearly as bruised as his face was, and Rory could feel that he was in absolute agony, although he gave no outward signs of it. If he'd had the capacity to do so, he would most likely be curled into the fetal position on the floor at the moment.

Mick also looked over the two, feeling the rage bubble up inside him. Seeing Beth, covered in blood and clearly in pain, he cried out to her.

"Beth! Are you okay?!" He asked worriedly.

"Mick, you're here!" Beth cried back happily, tears streaming down her face.

Mick was about to respond when Jeff cut in.

"I thought I told you, _no talking_!" He hissed, motioning to one of the seven guards stationed around the room. One of them stepped forward and punched Beth in the face, making her cry out. Her yelp only got her another blow. The guard was just about to deliver a third one, when Dante, seeing the beating, yelled.

"YEAH, THAT'S RIGHT! BEAT ON THEPOOR, DEFENSELESS WOMAN! IT'S CAUSE YOU CAN'T BE A REAL MAN AND TAKE ON SOMEONE WHO CAN DEFEND THEMSELVES, IS THAT IT? HUH? IS IT 'CAUSE YOU'RE A FUCKING COWARD?!"

The guard, enraged by Dante's outburst, forgot about Beth and proceeded to beat Dante instead, leaving Beth whimpering. Mick went to stand up, to tear the head off of the man that had hurt Beth, but the cocking of several guns behind him stopped him. Knowing that he would be shot with silver bullets if he tried anything, Mick watched helplessly as tears spilled from Beth's eyes and as Dante was struck several times in the stomach and the face with the butt of the guard's rifle. Mick silently reminded himself to thank Dante later for saving Beth from the wrath of the armed guard.

The guard finished beating Dante as Beth let out a painful shriek. One of the guards bustling past her had jostled her broken ankle. Her eyes widened in realization as the guard turned to give her another beating, but Dante again stopped him. Dante spit on the floor, expelling the large quantity of blood that had built up in his mouth.

"Is that the very best you've got, you worthless sack of shit?" He asked the guard, whose eyes widened and he returned to mercilessly beating Dante.

Jeff watched in amusement as the whole scene unfolded before him, and let the beating go on for a few minutes before finally calling off the guard.

"That's enough, McGregor." Jeff said loudly. The guard looked at him and nodded, punching Dante one final time for good measure before backing away from him.

"Well, I should think that it's about time to get down to business, wouldn't you agree?" Jeff asked, an evil grin spreading across his handsome features, ruining them.

"I'm here." Rory said. "I'm more than willing to co-operate with you. No questions asked."

Mick shot her a look. Jeff smiled.

"Well Rory," Jeff began, clearly savouring the moment. "I'm flattered that you're so eager, but you see…" he paused, adding effect. "Your gesture is simply too little, too late."

Rory just looked at him. Jeff looked back, still grinning evilly. He turned to face Beth and launched into an explanation.

"You see, I brought you here for a slightly different reason than the one that I gave you on the phone." He walked over to Beth, stroking her cheek with one hand, as she turned away. He turned back to look at Rory, anger burning in his eyes. "I didn't actually bring you here in the hopes of persuading you to return to me. The truth is, I brought you here for revenge. So you can understand exactly what you did to me when you ran off with your precious human!"

He turned to look Mick in the face. "And I want you to suffer for keeping me from my fledgling! You, the humans, you've all kept her from me. Now you will pay!"

With a deranged smile, Jeff turned back to Beth. He resumed his stroking of her cheek before looking once more at Rory.

"I gave you everything! I gave you power, immortality. I made you a goddess! I _chose_ you, Rory! And this is how you repay me? Running off with some god damn human and another vampire! Deserting your sire, your creator, shying away from your destiny to reign supreme over mere mortals?" He vamped out, anger blazing in his now milky white eyes. His fangs descended. He smiled his deranged smile once more, looking intently at her.

"I chose you because I sensed your strong will and loyal nature. I chose you because I saw reflected in you so many of my own characteristics, characteristics I highly value. But I see that spending so much time around this poor, pathetic excuse for a vampire has influenced you beyond repair. He's ruined you. It's such a pity…you showed such wonderful possibilities." He paused, looking once more at Beth and allowing himself an even wider grin.

"Oh, well. No matter. To be honest with you, I was going to make you watch as I drained your friend here. Make you both suffer as you watched her die, unable to prevent it. But perhaps there is a way to make you suffer even more. She is such a pretty girl…and with such vitality. It would be a shame to waste such a treasure in the pursuit of revenge." Jeff paused, enjoying the looks of rage on the faces of Mick and Rory. "And she shows such promise. Besides, judging by your apparent self-hatred, you would much rather let her die than see her become what you so passionately hate. So who knows…I might just turn her yet. I haven't quite decided."

With a maniacal grin, he turned to Beth and prepared to sink his fangs into her neck. Just as his fangs were almost touching her neck, Jeff was distracted by a sudden outburst of laughter. He whirled around to see that the source of the laughter was…Rory?

Rory allowed the humourless laughter to erupt from her, drawing all eyes to herself.

"Don't you see?" She asked quietly, standing, ignoring the guns pointed at her back. The guards prepared to fire at her but, to their immense surprise, Jeff raised a hand to stop them. He was even more intrigued than everyone else in the room as to what she had meant by that. Grinning, Rory walked slowly over to Jeff, making as much of a spectacle of herself as she could possibly muster. Then, finally coming to a stop in front of Jeff, she smiled widely, threw her arms around his neck, and pulled him down into a passionate kiss. All eyes were on her.

Mick just stared at the scene unfolding before him. This definitely wasn't part of the plan…

TBC

AN: Wow…didn't see that one coming, did you? (Gasp) Yeah…probably my best plot twist yet…and my most evil cliffie. Well, I know it's been quite a while since I've updated, and I just want to say sorry for the wait. It's been hectic lately. And I've had some writer's block that I've had to work through. This chapter didn't exactly turn out like I'd originally imagined it, but I think it turned out okay nonetheless. Anyway, I hope it's slightly believable. So, just so you know, it'll probably be a while before I can update. What with exams going on now and such, it's a bit hectic for me, and it's hard to find a spare moment to write. Hopefully, I'll be able to update within the next few days…after exams are over. And just to let you all know…only a few more chapters left of this story. (Gasp) Yeah, I know. I knew this story couldn't go on forever…but it's always sad when you have to bring something good to an end. And it's really hard for me. Considering that this is my baby and all. I just want to say that I really appreciate all the positive feedback I've been receiving from you wonderful readers…I look forward to all of your wonderful reviews. It's a real confidence booster for me, and it makes me feel appreciated. I'd also like to thank all of you that have been here right from the beginning, giving me encouragement and inspiring me to keep going with it. And thank you to all of you who have stumbled upon this long the way and have continued to read. Anyway, enough of my ranting and raving about my feelings and whatnot…I guess I should probably save the rest of it for when I finally end the story. Anyway, thanks for reading and reviewing!

Luvz always, Cat.


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Moonlight, anything that occurs in this fanfic from the show, or any of its characters. Believe me, if I did…I'd be a Jason Alexandwich right now. I do, however, own this plot and any characters I decide to throw in. Yayz!

AN: Sorry all for the delay…Damn infernal exams and such. Blame the school system. Anyway, here's the (I hope) much anticipated, long-delayed 18th chapter. Enjoy!

After several silent moments, Rory finally pulled away from Jeff, a satisfied smile on her face. She licked her lips, savouring the other vamp's blood on them.

Mick sat silently and watched in horror as the whole scene unfolded. What the hell was she doing?! When they had discussed their plan of action, this definitely hadn't been in there. He began to grow scared as he realized that his only ally here, the only one who could possibly help him stop Jeff…wasn't his ally.

Rory looked Jeff in the eyes, her evil grin growing wider.

"Don't you see?" She repeated quietly, tracing her finger seductively down his chest. "I never deserted you. Yes, I admit that I was rather confused that night in the apartment building, when you came to find me. I didn't realize what was happening. I wasn't sure who to trust. But after that night…after that, I realized my mistake. Realized where I went wrong. I realized the bond that existed between us, and I realized where my true place was. With you. After all," She paused, turning and walking slightly away from Jeff, "you are my sire."

With a horrible sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, Mick realized that he could sense that Rory was being sincere. She had played them all, betrayed them. She had betrayed him, and after all that he had done for her. He let out a ferocious growl.

Hearing the growl come from Mick, Rory looked venomously over at him, walked over to him and, grabbing a handful of his hair, pulled his head viciously back, so that he was looking up at her from his place on the ground.

"Oh, do shut up, won't you!" She snapped, giving his hair a further painful jerk. "You're ruining the moment!"

Mick looked up at her, hatred he had never before felt blazing in his eyes.

"When I get out of this, I swear to God I'll tear your head from your body myself!" He said quietly. Rory glared at him furiously, gave his hair a final tug, and threw him face-first into the concrete floor of the building. Turning back to Jeff, she continued her speech.

"I tried to find you. I've spent the last two years trying to find you. After failing miserably in my attempts, all I could do was hope and pray that you would find me. And in the meantime, I thought that I would prepare a gift for you."

She gestured around the room at Beth, Dante, and Mick. All eyes were trained on her, and all were silent. Beth looked furious and appalled; Dante just looked shocked and hurt.

"I befriended the vampire and the mortals, knowing that if I managed to get close enough to them, I could hand them over to you if you ever managed to come find me. I wanted to show my devotion to you…and what better way than to give you the scum that kept us apart all this time." Rory concluded. She smiled.

"Although…" She walked over to Dante. "This one has made a sufficient playmate…" She kissed his lips, then his jaw, then finally made her way to his neck. She licked the spot where his jugular vein lay pulsing under his skin, preparing to bite. All the while, Dante struggled to turn away from her, but couldn't due to his bindings.

"That's enough!" Growled Jeff, as Rory as just about to sink her teeth into Dante's neck. Clearly, he was jealous of her interest in the mortal. Rory smiled apologetically at him and sauntered over to his side.

"Are you pleased?" Rory asked, searching his eyes.

"Very much so." Jeff smiled, calming immediately. "I knew I'd made the right decision turning you…" He leaned in for a kiss, but was interrupted almost immediately by Beth's outraged yell.

"YOU FUCKING BITCH! I TRUSTED YOU! MICK TRUSTED YOU! DANTE LOVED YOU! AND ALL ALONG THIS IS WHAT YOU WERE PLANNING? I THOUGHT WE WERE FAMILY?!"

Jeff gave a weary sigh and was about to motion to one of the guards, when Rory put a hand up to stop him.

"I'll handle this." She said quietly. She approached the pillar that Beth was chained to and looked Beth straight in the eye, a distasteful look on her face. "I know no such word. I played you all like a harp, and each and every one of you fell obediently into place. It's your own faults."

She turned and sauntered back over to Jeff, wrapping an arm around his waist.

"Now…" She said seductively, reaching up to pull his face toward her. "I think we were about here…"

She kissed him, nipping playfully at his bottom lip. He nipped back, just hard enough to draw blood. Rory bit even harder, and so began the savage, passionate kiss that ensued.

Mick and Beth watched disgustedly. Seth turned pointedly away, hurt and confusion etched clearly on his face.

As the kiss wore on, Rory began to walk forward, forcing Jeff backward. Jeff was so caught up in the kiss that he obeyed Rory's silent command.

Mick watched as Rory backed Jeff into the wall. As she and Jeff were nearing the wall, Mick's disgust and hatred turned to confusion as…

A yelp erupted from Jeff, while a barely audible hiss escaped Rory's mouth. Jeff looked down in confusion and pain at the copper plumbing pipe that stuck through his back and out his abdomen. Allowing another hiss to escape as she did so, Rory pulled herself off of the pipe with a sickening squelching sound, and twisted the end of the pipe upward, ensuring that Jeff stayed where he was.

As all of this was happening, the guards stationed around the room all pointed their guns at Rory's turned back. Mick wasn't sure what had just happened, but he was no fool. Seeing an opportunity, he took it without question.

Seeing that the guards behind him had their sights trained on Rory, Mick reached up, grabbing the arm of the guard directly behind him. Using his vampire speed, Mick twirled the guard (who was still holding desperately onto the gun) around, pointing the gun at each guard's forehead in turn and wrapped his finger around the guard's, which was still resting on the trigger. After pulling the trigger six times and taking out the other six guards, Mick let go of the arm of the guard he was holding and quickly twisted he man's head, breaking his neck with a sickening snap. Breathless, he broke the chains binding Beth before he turned back to where Rory was standing. He, Beth, and Dante watched the confusing scene unfold. He had half a mind to grab one of the guns filled with silver bullets and pump her full of them, but he was frozen in place as he listened to the exchange between the two other vampires.

Whirling around to see Mick taking out the guards, Rory looked down at her abdomen with a pained expression on her face. She brought her hands up to gingerly touch the gaping wound just above her belly button…the wound that went all the way through to her back. If she hadn't been a vampire, she would surely have been dead by now. She winced as the wound throbbed at the touch of her fingers, pulling them away quickly. She had lost a significant amount of blood…she would need to feed soon. But for now, she had to focus on the task at hand.

She whirled back around to face Jeff. Jeff just stared at her with a shocked expression. Rory felt the hatred well up inside of her.

"What are you-" Jeff began, too surprised to move, or even to try to pull himself off the copper pipe. Rory cut him off.

"Oh, don't act so surprised." She said, her every syllable dripping with hatred and loathing. A wave of pain shot through her abdomen, making her jerk forward. But she regained her composure almost instantaneously. She couldn't let Jeff see her when she was weak. She would not give him that satisfaction. Not now. Not ever again. She smiled her twisted smile and continued.

"You narcissistic fucking prick." She growled, allowing herself to vamp out and bare her fangs. Her white eyes were cold, devoid of emotion. "After all you've done to me…after all you've put me through…you honestly think that I would choose _you_…" she uttered the word "you" as though it were something vile and disgusting, unfit to even leave her mouth, "…Over my _family_!"

With that, she grabbed a long, slender, pointed piece of wood debris off the floor and rammed it into his chest. He let out a scream of pain and surprise as she did so, before he became completely paralysed by the piece of wood that entered his heart. As she lodged the wood debris in his chest, she gave it an extra, jerking twist, making it all the more painful for the vampire she was staking and earning an extra agonized yelp. She smiled. His agonized cries were sweet music to her ears. When she had finished, she took a step backward to admire her handiwork. Jeff's face was frozen in a look of surprised rage.

"You were right." She said, walking over to one of the large barrels filled with flammable liquid. "I am loyal. Too bad it's not to you." With that, she tore off the metal lid and threw the contents onto the paralysed vampire before her. She tossed the barrel aside and looked back at Mick.

Mick looked at Rory as she looked back at him. He saw a sincere apology in her eyes. She pulled a gold Zippo lighter out from within her bra and held it up so he could see it.

"Care to do the honours?" She asked.

"I'd love to." Mick replied with a smile, walking over to where Rory stood in front of Jeff. He smiled and flicked open the lighter. As he lit it, he looked at Jeff with a slightly maniacal grin. "You know, Jeff. I've been waiting a long time for this moment. You broke all the rules. You killed countless innocent people. You turned Rory against her will. You messed with my family. You fucked with the wrong vamp."

"See you in hell, motherfucker." Rory spat, a grin on her lips.

With that, Mick tossed the lighter onto Jeff. As he was set ablaze, he screamed loudly. Rory stood watching, entranced, unblinking. She didn't even flinch. It was done. It was all over. Never again would Jeff harm another unsuspecting human. Justice was served. As Rory watched the blazing inferno lick at the vampire she hated more than anything on earth, she felt as though a weight had been lifted off her heart. Finally tearing her eyes away from the hellfire burning in front of her, she turned to face Mick, Beth, and Dante. The people she had wronged. Her family.

Mick had returned to Beth's side to keep her standing upright. Rory looked over at Dante, who was still chained to the pillar. In his haste to ensure Beth's safety, Mick had forgotten to free Dante. Rory rushed over to him, easily breaking his chains. He fell the few inches to the ground, and his legs buckled beneath him. Rory caught him and, supporting all of his weight, dragged him to his feet. She silently thanked God for her vampire strength, without which she would never have been able to support Dante's weight. Though her own strength was gradually fading with her injuries.

Rory cast a glance around her at Mick and Beth before her gaze finally settled back on Dante. She had already made her peace with Mick, who now understood what she had been doing all that time. Beth stood looking shocked, unable to comprehend what had just happened, and Rory could sense the deep-rooted hurt in Dante. Wounds that ran far deeper than the physical agony he was currently enduring. Wounds that she had created.

"I'm so sorry." She said loudly to all of them, although her unwavering gaze was focused on Dante's face.

Beth could only stutter. "But I thought-It's just, you made us think that-"

"I know." Rory said, trying to make them understand. "I had to. I had no choice. He was going to kill you…or worse. I had to stop him. He was angry…he was using all of you to get back at me. The only way I could stop him was to make him happy, to give him what he wanted…me. As long as he was happy, you were alive."

"But you seemed so…sincere. I couldn't sense any hesitation or deception coming from you." Mick said.

"I had to make it look legitimate." Rory said. "I couldn't give you any signals to let you know what I was doing for fear that he would pick up on them. If you would have been able to sense I was lying, then so would he."

Mick gave a half-hearted laugh. "You definitely had me fooled."

Rory smiled. "I've been told I'm a good actress."

Beth just looked at Rory, a mixture of shame and embarrassment on her face. "Rory…about what I said…I'm so sorry."

"So am I" Mick added.

"I know." Rory smiled. "It's okay. It made the whole thing seem more realistic anyway."

Dante looked Rory in the eye. He looked as though he were on the verge of unconsciousness.

"I'm sorry I doubted you." He whispered. Rory gave him a squeeze.

"I know." She reassured him.

"I should put out that fire." Mick commented after about half an hour. "Jeff's burned completely by now, and with the shape this place is in, I wouldn't be surprised if it caught fire." He looked at Beth with concerned face. "Can you stand on your own long enough for me to put out that fire?"

"Yeah. I should be fine." Beth said. She leaned against a nearby pillar as Mick grabbed an old fire extinguisher mounted to the wall and extinguished the flames.

All that was left of Jeff was a pile of ash in the shape of a body, Mick touched it lightly with the tip of his finger and it fell to dust on the ground. Then he resumed his place at Beth's side.

"Let's get out of here." Mick said, picking Beth up and cradling her in his arms. He noticed that Rory was becoming weak and was beginning to struggle with Dante's weight. "Are you sure you can handle his weight right now Rory?"

"Yeah." Rory said with a weak smile. "As soon as I get out of here and get some blood into me, I should be fine."

Mick knew that she would soon be unable to support Dante's weight, but nodded and turned toward the exit. Just as he began walking, a form stepped out from the shadows.

"Leaving so soon? The party's only just begun." The man said with a grin.

"Scott?" Dante asked weakly, apparently bewildered at the sudden appearance of his best friend, half thinking he was delirious with pain and imagining it. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"What I do best." Scott replied coolly. "Hunting."

Dun Dun Dun…Sorry folks, this one's a TBC. Yes, I'm evil. Yes, everyone predicted this moment. I tried to come up with ways to throw you all a curve ball, but nothing's worked so far. Anyway, just wanted to tell you all that there's only two or three more chapters left until the end. It depends on how I end up writing this. I meant to go on a little bit before ending this chapter, but seeing as it's almost 2:00 a.m., I decided that this was a pretty good place to end this. I wanted to get it posted ASAP for all of you wonderful and loyal readers. So, I hope you enjoyed. And tune in next week (or whenever the hell I get the next chapter written and posted) for the shocking conclusion to this turn of events. (Evil Grin) Gotta love the evil cliffies!

Luvz, Cat.


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Moonlight, anything that occurs in this fanfic from the show, or any of its characters. Believe me, if I did…I'd be a Jason Alexandwich right now. I do, however, own this plot and any characters I decide to throw in. Yayz!

AN: Well, thanks to yet another freak snowstorm beating Ontario to a pulp, I had several afternoons to devote to this chapter and, thanks to the fairly light workload this semester…I have no homework to worry about. So here it is…enjoy!

A deathly silence filled the room. Scott immediately pulled out two fully automatic handguns and pointed one at Mick and the other at Rory.

"I suppose I should thank you for disposing of him for me." He gestured toward the pile of ashes on the ground. "Saves me quite a bit of work."

Mick could smell that the guns were filled with silver ammunition. He froze, before putting Beth carefully on the ground and moving slowly in front of her. Dante was leaning heavily on Rory now, and staring at his best friend with confusion clearly etched in his features. Scott smiled.

"You shouldn't be so surprised, Seth." Scott grinned evilly; giving his head a shake to shake some of his stray blonde locks out of his eyes. Even as he did so, his guns remained expertly trained on the two vampires. "One of us had to continue your grandfather's work…and you obviously weren't going to."

Dante just stared at Scott. A realization hit him like a ton of bricks.

"It was YOU!" He said, his anger sapping him of what energy remained in his weakened body. "You were the one that tried to kill Rory!"

"I was doing you a favour, Seth. You had no idea what you were getting into…you still don't have a clue. What the hell are you even doing with these…these…_Night Stalkers_ anyway!" Scott spat, shooting Rory a look of pure contempt. "Didn't grandfather teach you anything?"

"First of all, it's Dante, not Seth. Secondly…he was wrong. Wrong about everything. Vamps aren't the evil, cruel, murderous creatures they're made out to be. The hunters are the real murderers!" Dante spat furiously. "Most vampires are civilized, respectable people. People that don't deserve to die-"

"You're WRONG!" Scott cut in, looking at Dante with fury blazing in his eyes. "Vampires are monsters. Bloodthirsty, disgusting animals that should be exterminated like every other dangerous creature on earth! They're a disgrace. They're all born killers!"

"No, they're not!" Dante exclaimed, getting angrier. He would have charged Scott if he could have moved. But, it his condition, he couldn't have moved even two steps on his own. He was glued to Rory's side, resting all of his weight on her. But with her own injuries, Rory would surely become too weak to support him soon enough.

Scott just glared at Dante. "Why don't you tell that to the Night Stalker scum that killed my family?! I watched them die at the hands of those bloodthirsty monsters! My mother…my father…my little sister…all of them. Killed at the hands of those…those BLOODSUCKERS!" As he said this, he brandished the guns he had pointed at Mick and Rory, his piercing gaze never leaving Dante.

"Grandfather was the only one who ever believed my story about the Night Stalkers that killed my family. He took me in and raised me as his own. He taught me how to hunt them down and kill them…taught me how to avenge my family! And I won't disappoint him…not like you did. You were his biggest failure in life…because you were weak!"

Dante scoffed. "I always hated the old man anyway. I'd choose the vamps over him any day. The only reason I stayed with him as long as I did was because I had no other options. I never believed a word he said."

Scott looked at him. After a moment, he suddenly looked at Rory and pulled the trigger of the gun he had pointed at her.

Dante, seeing what Scott was going to do a split-second before Scott had pulled the trigger, used the last remnants of his strength to manoeuvre himself in front of Rory, pushing her backward onto the ground as he absorbed the three silver bullets that flew his way.

"DANTE!!!" Rory screamed, tears in her eyes, as Dante let out an agonized yelp and fell onto the floor. Beth let out a terrified scream. Mick yelled. Dante fell face-first on top of Rory. She quickly sat up, flipped Dante over, and looked into his pale, swollen face. He let out a groan.

"Pity." Scott said, shaking his head. "I was hoping I wouldn't have to kill you tonight. But that's what you get for becoming involved with the Night Stalkers."

Hearing a growl coming from behind him, Scott quickly turned to face Mick, who was preparing to charge him.

"That would be a mistake, Night Stalker." Scott said calmly, still pointing the gun in his left hand at Mick. Scott was so preoccupied in his preparation to shoot Mick that he didn't notice Rory, who had stopped crying. She had vamped out, stood up, and begun to charge him at super speed. He heard her growl just behind him and, with a terrified look, turned to see her coming at him incredibly fast. He didn't even have time to aim the gun in his hand at her before she tackled him to the ground.

All self-control had left Rory the moment Scott had shot Dante. She was being led by rage now. Pure, blind rage. Everything around her had melted into oblivion…she had lost all sense of time and space. Her sights were zeroed in on Scott. He was a threat that had to be eliminated. He was the enemy. He had hurt someone she loved. She needed to get revenge. He had to pay.

As soon as she had tackled him to the ground, Rory wasted no time in sinking her fangs into his neck. His heart beat like a drum in her ears. She was exhilarated by his fear…the rush of adrenaline making its way through his body. In her weakened state, the taste of fresh, warm, coppery blood in her mouth was the most glorious thing she had ever tasted. As she drank, she felt her strength returning. The wound that went straight through her body from her abdomen and out her back healed as she drank. She'd drank her fill in about a minute. Then, led by the fury that rose up in her, she tore his throat out, allowing the rest of the blood in his body to drain out. She felt a strange sense of joy as she watched him flail on the floor in front of her…

Mick and Beth watched as Rory fiercely tackled Scott to the ground and began to drink. When Rory had finally drank enough and tore Scott's throat out, Beth flinched, but didn't look away. She knew he deserved this. She knew it was Rory's right to punish him. But she had never watched a vampire rip someone apart like that. As long as she had known Mick and Rory, they had been kind and gentle. This was a whole new side to vampires, a side she had never seen…a side that frightened her slightly.

Rory continued to watch as the last breath left Scott, as he stopped flailing on the ground and, quite suddenly, lay deathly still. Then she remembered that Dante was injured and quickly ran back over to him. Beth and Mick were already there.

Rory though that, on at least some level she should be sorry for what she'd done to Scott. She should be ashamed. But she couldn't bring herself to feel that way. He had gotten what he deserved…

Rory knelt down beside Dante's head, gently lifting the upper half of his body into her lap. Her featured had returned to their normal human state. His eyes were closed, but his heart was still beating. Faintly.

"Dante?" Rory asked, tears beginning to form once more in her eyes. For a moment she was met with no reply. For a moment, Rory was terrified. Then, a soft, barely audible groan escaped Dante as his eyes flickered open.

"Hey," He said weakly. His breathing was shallow. Tears began falling freely down Rory's cheeks. He swallowed hard and gave her a weak smile. "Don't cry, baby. If anyone should be crying here, it should be me. I'm the one that got shot, remember?" He said. Rory laughed through the tears. Even at a time like this, he still had a sense of humour. Then she turned suddenly serious.

"Dante…we have to get you to a hospital." She turned to Mick, who was crouched down on the ground to her left. "Mick, I need your phone."

Mick locked eyes with her and silently handed her his phone, even though, deep down, he knew that there was no way the paramedics would be able to get there in time.

Rory took the phone and tore the sleeves off the shirt she was wearing. She also tore off the section of cloth that covered her abdomen, so only her chest was covered. She balled up the fabric and placed a wad over each of the bullet holes on his stomach. The bullets had flown clean through his body, and lay on the ground several feet away from him. He was bleeding out badly.

"Here, you need to put pressure on these." She said, shooting Mick and Beth a look. They nodded and pressed down on the wads of cloth, earning a painful hiss from Dante.

Once Rory was sure Dante was being taken care of, she began dialling numbers on the phone. She was startled, however, when Dante weakly reached a hand up and placed it on the phone.

"Rory…" he began, taking a deep, shuddering breath, "don't bother. I'm not gonna last much longer anyway…"

"Don't you dare talk like that!" Rory said fiercely, her icy eyes, filled with unshed tears, boring into his nearly emerald green ones. All the lively lustre had gone out of them, yet another sign that Dante was indeed on death's doorstep. "You're going to make it. You're going to be just fine. Don't you dare even think otherwise!"

Dante took another shuddering breath. "Rory…I'm a first-year med student. I've done my research. In cases like these, there's nothing that can be done. I'm sorry…sorry I couldn't be with you longer. Sorry you have to watch me die like this. But the truth is…" He breathed heavily. "I'm as good as dead. You have to let me go. I want you to move on with your life…don't spend eternity mourning me, okay? And don't cry, you know I hate to watch you cry…I don't want the last thing I see to be you crying."

Rory couldn't help it. Tears spilled from her eyes and down her face. He fell silent, his breathing becoming even more laboured. He weakly reached a hand up toward her face, and she took it and placed it gently to her cheek. She closed her eyes and lost herself in her memories. There were so many of them together. Their first date, when they'd first kissed in the pouring rain…the first time they'd made love…countless kisses and warm embraces…talking about everything and anything late into the night…moonlit walks on warm summer nights along LA beaches…but one stuck out vividly in he memory. One from several months ago…

Rory stood silently in the doorway of their bedroom, a cup of blood in her hands, watching him and smiling to herself. He was sitting on the bed, his back to the door, completely unaware that she was there. He was playing his acoustic guitar, the one she'd gotten him for his birthday, and singing the song "Waiting on the World to Change". She loved the sound of his voice. He could easily have been a professional musician. As he finished the song, she finally spoke.

"_You know, you could end up waiting an eternity."_

_He whipped his head around to look at her and blushed. He quickly laid the guitar in its case on the floor and smiled at her. His auburn, chin-length, slightly curly hair fell into his face as he whirled around. She smiled at his embarrassment and entered the room, placing her glass on a bedside table and sitting don in his lap. He looked into her eyes meaningfully, suddenly taking on a rather serious expression._

"_As long as I get to spend it waiting with you."_

_Rory felt her heart melt for a moment…before it occurred to her what he'd just said._

"_Seth…" She began, her tone clearly suggesting that she didn't want to have this conversation._

"_Rory, we need to have this conversation sooner or later. We need to make this decision."_

"_No we don't…because it's not happening. I won't do that to you." Rory said, giving him a look that said clearly that the discussion was to end right then and there. But it didn't. _

"_Rory…it's not the horrible curse that you constantly make it out to be…"_

"_Oh really?" She asked, her voice tinged with anger. "Do you have any idea what it's like, waking up every morning afraid to look at your own reflection, because you don't want to see yourself for the monster you are? Do you have any idea what I'd give to be a normal human being? To be able to grow old with you? To be able to give you children? To be able to die? Do you have any idea what it's like, thinking about the future and seeing an endless, meaningless black hole, knowing that one day everyone you've ever cared about will be dead, and you'll never be able to join them? Do you know what that's like? I never want you to know what that's like…I never want to put you through that. I will not be responsible for cursing you!"_

"_Rory…it's not a curse if you ask for it." He said, looking at her with intense sincerity, begging her to know that he was serious. "You don't have to endure eternity alone."_

"_Seth…you have no idea what you're asking for. And I won't let you make a mistake you'll end up regretting for the rest of eternity." Rory said, standing up and walking to the window on the other side of the room._

"_Damn it Rory! It's my decision to make…and I want this!" He said, also jumping to his feet and walking over to stand behind her._

"_Well, Seth, the decision to turn you is my decision to make. And I won't do it. I made up my mind long ago. So you're just going to have to accept this and move on." She said forcefully, turning around to face him. They stood staring at each other for a moment before he finally relented. Neither of them wanted to argue over this. _

"_I'm sorry Rory…"he said, pulling her into is arms and kissing the top of her head. "I just hate to think what things will be like for you when I'm gone. I don't want you to end up losing it after I'm gone."_

"_I know, Seth. But I've still got many years with you yet. I want you to have a long, normal life…I want you to be able to grow old, to die…to really live. Immortality makes life pointless. I want your life to have meaning…and I'd rather watch you grow old and die than force you to live out eternity miserably."_

"_I wouldn't be miserable as long as I was with you…"_

"_Seth…please don't make this hard for me. I've made my decision. It's what's best for both of us."_

"_Alright." He said quietly, although Rory could sense that he was not completely convinced. _

Rory was brought back to the present by the occurrence of a sudden thought. Dante may have been beyond all medical help, but she could still save him. She opened her eyes and looked at his pale face. His heart was slower than ever. She'd never wanted to have to do this. She'd never thought she would even consider it. But she'd also thought that they'd have decades together, thought that he'd live a long life before he died and was finally gone. She never thought she'd have to face the prospect of losing him so soon…

"Mick." She said. Hearing his name, Mick's eyes jerked to her face. She gave him and intense stare. "If I were to turn him…would he live?"

Mick looked at her, an expression of pity on his face. The truth was…with all the blood he'd lost already, the fact that he was so weak going into it, there was a good chance he wouldn't survive the turning process.

"Rory…there's a hell of a lot that could go wrong with a turning under the best of circumstances…with all the blood Dante's lost, and the fact that he's so weak, a turning would be extremely risky to attempt."

"But there's a chance, right?!" Rory asked, urgency filling her voice. "Tell me there's a chance he'd survive it!"

"There's a very slight chance…" Mick said, looking away. He couldn't stand to see the intense pain in her eyes. He knew that Dante surviving a turning under the present circumstances would be nothing short of miraculous.

Rory looked down at Dante, listening as his heart just barely beat. His breathing was extremely shallow…so shallow that it was nearly inaudible.

"Dante…" Rory said, giving him a shake. He struggled to open his eyes. "I could try to turn you…just tell me it's okay. Just tell me you won't regret it. Just tell me you won't hate me afterward."

Dante struggled to speak. His breathing was laboured. He was so far gone that, by now, all he could manage was an inaudible whisper.

"It's okay." He whispered. Rory looked him in the eye and nodded. She began to cry. She pulled his frail body into her arms and allowed the change to overcome her. She looked into his eyes with her white ones. She saw no fear in his.

"I love you, Dante." She whispered, tears streaming down her face.

"I love you too Rory." Came his nearly inaudible reply.

Mick stood up, picking Beth up off the ground, and carried her to a spot a short distance away, meaning to give Rory and Dante some privacy. He knew that a turning was an intimate experience…which was what made rape turnings all the more heinous.

Rory hesitated for only a moment longer before sinking her fangs into Dante's neck and draining him of what little blood he had left. This didn't take long, as he had lost so much blood already.

As Rory's fangs pierces Dante's skin, she felt the grip of his arms wrapped around her shoulders tighten. Then, as she drank, se felt his grip slacken, until finally he had gone completely limp. Then, allowing his upper body to slip down into her lap, Rory tore open her own wrist and allowed the blood to drip into Dante's mouth and run down his throat. After allowing a generous amount to flow into Dante's mouth, Rory licked her wound of excess blood and allowed it to close.

Rory, Mick, and Beth waited with bated breath as Dante lay there, limp and unmoving. Several minutes passed. Still, Dante had not awoken. After about five minutes, Rory began to worry. After about ten, she was panicked.

Finally, after thirteen agonizing minutes of waiting, Rory watched in awe as Dante's wounds began to heal. The cuts and bruises on his torso began to disappear, and the bullet holes began to close. The swelling in his face subsided, and the cuts ad bruises disappeared. His wrists, that had been cut by his bindings and had bled profusely, healed immediately. He looked as though he had never been injured at all, let along just suffered severe trauma and brutal beatings. Even scars he had had before that night disappeared without even a trace.

Suddenly, after he had healed completely, Dante's eyes flew open and he drew in a sharp, gasping breath, as though he had been deprived of oxygen and had suddenly found he had the ability to breathe. He sat up quickly.

Dante looked around him. He saw everything so clearly…so vividly. As a human, he had had perfect 20/20 vision. Yet perfect human vision couldn't even begin to compare with that of a vampire. Everything was sharper, more defined. Colours jumped out at him, brilliant colours that had seemed so dull before. He could hear everything…could hear the numerous rats throughout the building, could hear the soft wind blow outside, could hear a single heartbeat nearby…that of Beth. He could smell the mildew that hung heavy in the air, could smell the stench of silver from the guards' weapons, along with a sweet, coppery smell…a smell that made him realize that he was hungry…hungrier than he'd ever been in his entire life. He looked at Beth. Her heartbeat was ringing in his ears…begging him to drink. He stared hungrily at her.

Mick saw the look in Dante's eyes as he stared at Beth and immediately moved in front of her. He still had a look of awe plastered to his face…He had not expected Dante to survive the turning. By all rights, Dante should be dead.

Dante realized that he was staring at Beth, who was practically a sister to him, as though she were and appetizer. He quickly regained control of himself, shaking his head as he looked over at Rory. He was slightly worried that he might lose control of himself and try to go after Beth.

"Hey." He said simply, looking at Rory intently.

Rory couldn't bring herself to reply. She just flung herself onto him, tears pouring down her face. He wrapped his arms tightly around her, taking in her scent, and the feel of her skin. His heightened sense of touch astonished him. She felt so amazing…

Mick and Beth watched the scene unfold. After a moment, Mick picked up his phone, which had been discarded on the floor. He had a few calls to make. His first was to the Cleaner. They had, after all, made quite a mess of the place and needed a cleanup job. The second was to Josef, explaining what had happened and asking him to come and meet them.

"Oh, and Josef?"

"Yeah Mick?" Josef replied.

"Make sure you bring some blood with you. We've got a hungry fledgling here."

"Will do, Mick." Josef answered before the line went dead.

AN: Alright…I've been working on this chapter for a while…among other things. Thanks to several snow days, I've had quite a bit of time to work on this chapter lately. Depending on how I decide to finish the story, there will only be one or two more chapters. So…I will now shamelessly beg for your input. Shall I begin a sequel, or shall I just end this and leave it where it is? Thanks so much…you're all such wonderful readers.

Love always, Cat.


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Moonlight, anything that occurs in this fanfic from the show, or any of its characters. Believe me, if I did…I'd be a Jason Alexandwich right now. I do, however, own this plot and any characters I decide to throw in. Yayz!

Josef arrived about fifteen minutes later with a cooler full of packaged blood. He went around to the three vampires in the room, passing out packages of the crimson liquid.

"Here." He said as he passed two packages to Mick. "Drink these."

"I'm fine, Josef." Mick reassured him, trying to hand back the blood. Josef shook his head and pushed the blood back toward Mick.

"No, you're not. You're exhausted. And starving. I can sense it from a mile away. You need to keep your strength up."

Mick nodded and relented, tearing into one of the packages with his teeth. He drank deeply, realizing for the first time how hungry he actually was. He felt immensely better as the blood made its way through his body.

Next, Josef made his way over to Rory, handing her two packages of blood as well. Rory accepted them gratefully and drank ravenously. Then Josef turned to Dante, handing him three packages of blood.

"Trust me…you'll need all of it. You've got to replenish the blood you lost during the turning. And Dante," Josef said with a grin as he turned to walk away, "welcome to the fold."

"Thanks." Said Dante simply, nodding at Josef and tearing into one of the blood bags in his hands. He vamped out and downed it hungrily, before tearing into the next one.

Josef put the cooler down on the ground and handed Beth a blanket he'd had draped over his arm. Beth smiled and accepted the blanket, wrapping it tightly around herself.

"Thanks, Josef." She said, hugging him. Josef looked shocked for a moment at the display of affection, but quickly recovered and returned the gesture.

"Anytime, Beth." He said.

MLMLMLML

About ten minutes after Josef's arrival, the Cleaner showed up. She looked around at the numerous bodies scattered about the room and looked over at Mick.

"This is quite the body count, Mick." She said, a slightly amused smile playing on her lips. "I must admit, I was surprised to get your call…Mick St. John never needs a cleanup job done." Mick shrugged.

"They picked the wrong vamps to mess with…"

"Indeed." She said. She then turned to her team and began shouting out instructions, which they followed immediately, gathering up the bodies and beginning to clear them away.

Mick walked over to where Beth was being examined by the doctor Josef had hired specifically to attend to Beth. He stood beside the gurney she'd been brought and listened as the doctor summarized her injuries.

"Well, Miss Turner…you have a fractured ankle, several contusions and lacerations, primarily to the face and hands, severe lacerations to the wrists, and a slight concussion from the looks of things. We'll put a cast on that leg, bandage you up, give you a tetanus shot and a dose of painkillers, and you should be alright."

"That's good to hear." Mick said, smiling warmly at Beth and kissing her on top of the head. Beth smiled.

"Yeah…although I'm not too sure about the needle…" She grinned. Mick just chuckled.

"I'm sure you'll live through it."

MLMLMLML

While Mick and Beth were busy talking to the doctor, and Josef was busy ordering people around, Rory approached Dante and wrapped her arms around him. She wasn't used to being unable to hear his heartbeat…it would no doubt take her a while to become accustomed to it. Dante pressed his face into her hair, inhaling deeply. Somehow, he could sense some apprehension in her, and he knew why.

"Rory…" He said. Her face was buried in his chest. He could smell something distinctly salty and hear her breathing change. He knew she must be crying. "Rory, please look at me?"

He heard a quiet sniffle and looked into her red, swollen eyes. He gave her a smile and placed a hand on the side of her face, using his thumb to wipe away a few stray tears.

"Rory…I don't regret it. I don't feel like I'm cursed…I've wanted this all along."

"Dante…you've barely even experienced it." Rory argued. Dante gave her a squeeze.

"As long as we're together…we'll make it through. The good and the bad." He replied. He felt Rory's apprehension ease and she gave him a weak smile. "Come on…" He continued, taking both of her hands in his. "Let's get out of here…let's go home."

"Home sounds like a wonderful idea." Rory agreed, allowing him to lead her away and up through the elevator shaft.

MLMLMLML

Dante and Rory arrived back at their apartment at around three-thirty in the morning. It had only been three and a half hours since Rory's ordeal at the warehouse had begun; yet as she looked around her apartment, she couldn't help but feel as though it had been longer. She felt as though she'd been gone for days…when in reality, she had left her apartment at about eight that evening. And she felt like somehow everything had changed. She had changed. Her apartment seemed so different now…

"…Rory?" She had been snapped out of her reverie when she had heard her name. She looked up quickly to see Dante staring at her, a worried expression on his face.

"Sorry…what?" She asked, slightly confused.

"I asked if you were okay…" Dante replied, "but you seemed really far away or something."

"Oh…yeah, I'm fine." She reassured him, looking him straight in the eye. "It's just tonight…everything that's happened…it just seems like everything's changed."

"Yeah," Dante agreed, "but it's definitely changed for the better."

Rory nodded. "You're probably right."

"Of course I'm right." Dante said with a grin. He walked over to her, pulling her into his arms. He kissed her passionately, hungrily. She reciprocated with surprising force. Dante had always sensed that she'd been holding back, but now that he was no longer human, she had no reason to. And she didn't.

Grinning, Dante pulled away from Rory, pressing his forehead against hers. She smiled back at him. Their love had always been a strong one; they'd both known it all along. But now…now they shared a connection far deeper than any bond they'd shared before. They shared a blood connection…an unbreakable bond between sire and fledgling. A bond that only strengthened the love they already had for each other.

"Come on…" Dante said, pulling her down the small hallway and into their bedroom. He grinned at her as he pulled her into another passionate kiss, tearing off what was left of her shirt. Rory responded by tearing off his own shredded, bloodstained one. He broke the kiss once more, grinning as he stripped off the rest of his clothes with lightning speed and climbed into the freezer. Rory simply stood where she was.

"What are you waiting for?" Dante asked, a mischievous grin on his face. Rory just looked at him, unable to put what she was feeling into words. Finally, she opted to say the first words that came to mind.

"I'm waiting on the world to change."

A look of realization crossed Dante's face as he remembered that day. He smiled lovingly and said, "You could end up waiting an eternity."

Rory smiled, fresh tears welling up in her eyes as she said, "As long as I get to spend it waiting with you."

With that, she stripped off the rest of her own clothes and joined him in the freezer.

She kissed him passionately, lying on top of him, before he rolled her underneath him. His auburn locks hung down in Rory's face as he looked meaningfully at her with his emerald eyes.

"I love you, Rory. More than you'll ever know."

"I love you too, Dante."

Dante brought his lips crashing down on hers and thrust, entering her. She gave a moan as he did so, arching up into him. He began to move slowly, establishing a steady rhythm with her. He pulled away and looked into her eyes as they moved together. Rory's eyes clouded over, becoming the vampire's milky white. Dante's did the same. As they began to move faster, the excitement building in both of them, Dante sank his fangs into Rory's neck, adding to the mounting pleasure. Rory sank her own fangs into Dante. Finally, they both climaxed together.

Pulling apart, Rory and Dante rolled onto their sides, so that they lay facing each other. The freezer was a rather large one, so if they both lay on their sides, two vampires could fit quite comfortably. As they lay staring into each other's eyes, Dante brushed a few stray strands of hair out of Rory's face. She smiled and moved closer to him, snuggling into his body and wrapping her arms around him. Dante wrapped his arms protectively around her, burying his face in her beautiful black hair, taking in her scent. They both lay like that, savouring this perfect moment, until exhaustion overtook them and they fell asleep, wrapped safely in the comfort of each other's arms.

MLMLMLML

It was going on four o'clock in the morning when Mick carried Beth into their apartment. Beth had insisted that, with the help of her crutches, she could make it on her own, but Mick, being the gentleman he was, had insisted on carrying her. Beth was extremely exhausted, so she'd decided against arguing.

Mick carried her through the door, laying her gently on the couch before hurrying to close the door behind him. He was about to walk back to Beth when she spoke, stopping him in his tracks.

"Mick?"

"Yeah?" He asked, sensing the fear that had crept into her voice.

"Can you make sure the door's locked?"

"Of course." Mick replied, turning back to the door and engaging the locking mechanisms. He turned and walked over to where she lay on the couch. He sat on the coffee table, stroking her head with his hand. He could feel the tension in her body ease at this touch. He became lost in his thoughts as he sat stroking her head.

"Beth…" He said quietly, guilt flooding through him. "I'm sorry…that I didn't protect you. That you went through everything you went through tonight."

"Mick…" Beth replied, reaching a hand up and laying it on the side of his face. "What happened tonight wasn't your fault, okay? You had no way of predicting what would happen. And you can't be with me all the time, and you can't protect me from everything-"

"But I should." He cut in. "I should be able to protect you all the time…from everything."

"Mick," Beth said with a laugh, "you're not Superman. Sometimes things happen that are beyond your control…even if you happen to be a vampire."

"But I almost lost you tonight…again." He said. She knew he was referring to at least one of the numerous previous attempts on her life, although she wasn't entirely sure as to which one.

They fell into silence again as Mick was once again lost in his thoughts. Mick though long and hard about Dante, of how Dante had been dying, and of how Rory was forced to make the decision about whether or not to turn him. Seeing this scenario unfold had made Mick think about Beth's mortality. It forced him to face the reality of losing her. He had realized then and there how utterly lost and broken he would be if he ever lost Beth. He also realized that he couldn't bear to watch Beth grow old and die, to slip away from him before his very eyes. But at the same time, he couldn't curse her with immortality. He was torn between selfishly wanting to keep her with him forever and letting her live out her life as a normal human being.

Little did Mick know that Beth had done a lot of thinking on the matter herself.

"Beth…" Mick began. He decided that it was time they discussed this matter. He had known for a long time that this conversation was coming, but he'd never even dreamed that he'd be the one to bring it up…or that he'd even consider it for that matter. In the end, though, he knew that it was her decision to make. And it was about time they'd made it. "I've been doing a lot of thinking…about everything…and I think it's time we discuss the subject of turning. You told me once that it was your decision to make…and you're right. But before you make the decision-"

"I want it." Beth said quickly, her eyed filled with raw determination as she stared at Mick. Mick sighed.

"Beth, don't do that. I want you to think about this…and I mean really think about this. I don't want you to rush into it, because once it's done…you can't go back."

"Mick, I have thought this through…I've thought about it every day since this relationship began. I've explored every possible avenue of how it could turn out. I've considered everything I would have to sacrifice and everything I would gain. In the end, though, no matter which direction I take my thoughts, I always come to one conclusion…that I'll be with you. No matter what, no matter how things turn out…as long as I'm with you, it'll be worth it. I'm ready, Mick…ready to spend eternity with you."

Mick looked up from the spot on the floor he'd been staring at and into her face. He was somewhat startled by the determined look in her eyes as she stared at him intently. He sighed. He was still unsure about this…still conflicted. He rose, turning to look out the window.

"Beth…maybe I shouldn't. I mean, when I saved you from Coraline all those years ago, the last thing I ever wanted was for you to become a vampire. I wanted to protect you from all of this, not drag you down into it. If I were to turn you now…I would be breaking a promise to myself. My efforts to protect you from all this would be in vain."

He looked at her, sadness in his eyes. Beth could tell that he was clearly tormented by his inner struggle. She sighed. She had to make him see…

"Mick." She said quietly, sitting up and gesturing for him to sit down beside her. Mick indulged her and sat down beside her on the sofa. She raised a hand and lay it gently on the side of is face. Mick closed his eyes and leaned into her touch. "You efforts were never in vain. You saved me as a child, protected me all these years, so that I could have the opportunity to make the decision for myself. And I _choose_ this, Mick. I choose _you_."

Mick opened his eyes and looked yet again into her watery blue ones. They were almost pleading, but there was still a hint of the raw determination he had seen earlier. He realised that there was no way he would be able to change his mind. He was also startled to find that there was a large part of him that didn't want to change her mind. He brought a hand up and placed it on top of Beth's, which was still resting on his cheek. He smiled.

"Okay."

Beth looked surprised. She had expected more of a fight. "You mean you'll actually do it? You'll really turn me?"

"Yes." Mick said with a smile. There was still a part of him that highly objected this decision, but he was tired of fighting this. He knew that, deep down, he wanted this as much as she did. He wanted to keep her with him for all of eternity. There was no way he could have watched her grow old and die. He could never face the prospect of losing her. "Provided that you're sure you want it, of course."

Beth smiled. "I'm definitely sure I want this."

Mick nodded. He lifted her gently into his lap, never breaking eye contact. He pulled her close to him, wrapping his arms around her and taking in her scent. He sat there hugging her to him for a few moments, listening to the gentle beat of her heart. After a few moments, he released his grip on her, allowing her to pull away and look at him in his face.

"Are you absolutely sure about this, Beth?" He asked her.

"Yes, Mick. I'm positive."

Mick nodded again and allowed himself to vamp out. He looked intently into Beth's eyes and saw only anticipation. He could sense that she was completely at ease, that she trusted him immensely. He relaxed himself and pushed some of her golden hair behind her ears.

"I love you, Beth. More than anything." He said, staring intently into her eyes. Beth looked back into his with the same intense stare.

"I love you too Mick."

With that, Mick pulled her close to him once more. Beth wrapped her arms around his neck, bracing herself. Mick hesitated only a moment before he sank his fangs into the soft, creamy flesh of her neck. He felt Beth's body tense as he bit down, but she relaxed immediately as Mick drank. She allowed herself to be swept away by the pure, riveting pleasure that spread through her.

Mick drank, savouring the sweet taste of Beth's blood. He could feel her strength draining, feel her grip on him loosen. After a few moments, Mick stopped, pulling away to look at her.

"This is it, Beth. The point of no return. If I go any further, there's no turning back. This is your last chance to back out of this."

Beth felt a little light-headed from blood loss, but she was still very much coherent. "No. I want this, Mick. I don't want to turn back."

Mick nodded silently in understanding and, pulling her close to him once more, Mick finished the process of draining her. As soon as she went limp in his arms, Mick pulled away, laying her gently across his lap. He bit into his own wrist, pouring the blood that escaped the wound into Beth's mouth. It disappeared down her throat, and after he was positive she'd gotten enough of his blood, he licked the excess from the wound on his wrist, allowing it to heal instantly. With that, he gently lifted Beth off of his lap, laid her on the couch, and set about making preparations for when she awoke.

Several minutes passed and Beth showed no signs of waking. After ten minutes, Mick began to get slightly worried. After twenty he was panicking. Thirty minutes slowly ticked by, and Mick was beyond panicked. He was hysterical. He had no idea what was wrong…why Beth wasn't waking up. Had he done something wrong? Had he inadvertently overlooked some detail that was crucial to the process of a turning? Mick had learned from Josef once that any newly turned vampire would wake up in less that twenty minutes after they'd ingested the blood of their sire. It had been nearly forty-five since he'd drained Beth and fed her his own blood, yet she still hadn't even moved. Hot tears began to fall down Mick's face as he paced frantically. What if he'd done something wrong and Beth had fallen into a coma? What if she became like Sara? A half-living corpse that would never awaken…an eternal Sleeping Beauty? The idea drove him insane. He couldn't bear the thought that he'd done something wrong and now Beth would end up suffering for his mistakes. Or worse. What if he'd accidentally killed her?

In a frenzied state, Mick picked up his phone and was about to call Josef when he heard the most wonderful sound he'd ever heard come from right behind him. He turned to see Beth, who had just taken in a deep, gasping breath, open her eyes and sit bolt upright.

Beth looked around the room, taking in every minute detail. Her vision was incredibly sharp now, and it was as though thick, blurry lenses had been removed from her eyes. She looked down at her hands. The bruises and lacerations that ad been there less than an hour before had disappeared completely, leaving perfect, flawless skin. She sniffed the air, realizing that she could distinguish a wide variety of scents she'd never noticed before. She inhaled deeply. She could smell Mick, although his scent had changed somehow. It was magnified a thousand times, despite the fact that he was standing halfway across the room. There was also something different about it. She assumed that this must be the scent that distinguished vampires from normal human beings. She closed her eyes, realizing for the first time that she could feel everything. The fabric of her clothing on her skin was heavier somehow, and she could distinguish every individual thread. She realized that the cast on her foot was incredibly uncomfortable…it felt like sandpaper on her delicate skin. And it was incredibly hot and extremely itchy. She looked up at Mick, a look of wonder and amazement gracing her features. She smiled at him.

"I feel incredible, Mick." She frowned when she realized he was upset. She could feel it radiating off of him. And she could smell the salt of fresh tears, and see his red, swollen eyes. "Mick…what's wrong?"

Mick smiled. "Nothing. Everything's fine. I just got scared for a minute there…I thought that maybe you wouldn't wake up."

"Why?" Beth asked, confused. "How long was I out?"

"Nearly an hour." Mick said, offering a weak smile.

"Wow," Beth said, raising a hand to her forehead. She suddenly looked into his face, an excited expression on her face. "I feel amazing, though. It's like the time I took the Black Crystal…only a million times stronger. I can see everything, hear everything, smell everything…Mick, I can feel _everything_!"

Mick smiled at the look of pure joy that crossed her face. He handed her one of the glasses of blood he'd poured in anticipation of her awakening.

"Here. Drink this…you need it to replace the blood you lost during the turning."

Beth took the glass and sniffed the crimson liquid. As a human, blood had only ever smelled like copper. As a vampire, Beth was surprised to find that it contained a variety of scents. It smelled slightly sweet, with a hint of salt. It was the most appetizing thing she'd ever smelled. She began to drink, downing the glass quickly. She looked intently at the glass, as though willing it to refill itself. She was still hungry. Mick laughed at this and handed her another glass. She drank this glass more slowly, savouring the wonderful mixture of flavours contained within the blood.

After four glasses of blood, Beth finally found herself to be full. Mick sat down beside her on the couch, and she curled into him, snuggling up close. They sat like that for what seemed like an eternity. Mick was slightly bothered by the fact that he could no longer hear Beth's heartbeat. He had become accustomed to it…had become used to its constant presence in the background. But he knew that he would become accustomed to life without it soon enough. He smiled and wrapped his arms even more tightly around her, revelling in her. He'd been afraid he'd lost her. Now, now that she had awoken, now that she was a vampire…he'd never have to worry about losing her again. He felt an intense sense of peace wash over him at this comforting thought.

"Mick?" Beth asked after a while, interrupting the peaceful silence that had fallen over both of them.

"Hmm?" Mick answered, stroking her soft, golden hair absent-mindedly.

"Now that I'm a vampire…now that my injuries have fully healed…can I please take this cast off? It's a huge pain in the ass, and it's driving me fucking insane!"

Mick laughed. He'd forgotten about the cast on her foot, and he had no doubt that it was extremely uncomfortable.

"Sure." He said with a chuckle. He went to a nearby closet and dug through it until he found his toolbox. From his toolbox he removed a small handsaw and slowly, carefully began to saw through the plaster. After fifteen minutes, the cast was only cut a portion of the way through. Beth groaned impatiently.

"Here! Let me do it!" She said, grabbing the saw from Mick and sawing madly at the cast. Within five minutes, she'd sawed her way through the remainder of the cast and ripped it off. Mick laughed. Typically Beth. Impatient as hell. But he knew he wouldn't want her any other way.

Beth was beginning to feel slightly intoxicated by the new sensations of being a vampire. She felt powerful, strong…and, for some strange reason, _very_ sexually charged. She suddenly grabbed Mick, pulling him into a passionate kiss.

Mick, caught off guard, hesitated for a split-second, before kissing her back with passion she'd never before experienced. She stood quickly, pulling him up with her. She pulled him upstairs with her super-human speed. She grinned at him, stripping off her clothes with lightning speed, and then stripping off Mick's. Before he even realized what had happened, Mick found himself naked and pinned to the wall by Beth. He laughed and let out a playful growl. Grinning from ear to ear, he turned them both around so that he now had Beth pinned to the wall.

"Now…you really should play nicely with the other vamps." Mick grinned, kissing her. When he pulled away, Beth vamped out, biting into his neck. Mick was enthralled by the wave of pleasure that flooded him. He had forgotten what it was like to be bitten by another vampire.

Mick picked her up and carried her to the bed. He laid her down gently on it and climbed on top of her, grinning. He vamped out and bit her, enthralling her. It was definitely way better being bit when you were a vamp.

Mick thrust into her, moving slowly and establishing a rhythm with her. Beth bit into Mick, so that they were both feeding from each other. They quickened their pace, the connection established through feeding from each other only adding to the pleasure. Finally, release came for both of them, an explosive wave of pleasure that left both of them seeing stars.

They untangled themselves from one another, lying on their backs and breathing heavily. Beth had never experienced anything quite like that. Everything really _was_ better when you were a vampire.

Mick looked over at Beth, grinning. Beth grinned back. Mick sighed heavily before getting up and gently carrying Beth to the freezer on the other side of the room. Mick was exhausted, after all that had happened that night, and Beth was even more exhausted. The trauma of that night's events, coupled with the turning, had thoroughly exhausted her.

Mick laid Beth gently in his freezer and turned to go and bring his guest freezer into the room.

"Where are you going?" Beth asked as Mick turned to leave the room.

"To get the other freezer." Mick replied, turning to look at her.

"Don't leave…" Beth said. "I thought that maybe you could sleep in here with me tonight."

Mick grinned. "You know that freezer's only meant to hold one person, right? It'll be a pretty tight fit."

"I don't mind." Beth replied, smiling warmly at him. "I want to be close to you. And besides," she said, her grin taking on a mischievous quality, "tonight's the first night I can actually sleep with you, and damnit, I'm not going to let something as trivial as limited freezer space stand in the way of that!"

Mick grinned and, turning off the light on his way, climbed into the freezer with her. They both had to lay on their sides, and it took a moment for them to get themselves situated, but once they had, they were actually quite comfortable. Mick watched Beth as she slowly drifted to sleep, curled up beside him. He had his arms wrapped around her and she held him close, her head buried in his chest. He stroked the back of her head with one hand, feeling the silky smoothness of her hair beneath his fingertips. He had often imagined himself and Beth like this…being able to sleep together, in each other's arms. But he had never actually thought that it would happen. Now, however, as he held her in his arms, he was perfectly content…well, almost. There was still one thing that was bothering him. One thing he had to hear.

"Beth?" He asked, uncertainty evident in his voice.

"Mmm…" Beth mumbled in reply. She was already half-asleep.

"No regrets…right?"

Beth looked up at him with half-open eyes. She smiled at him, warmly and reassuringly.

"No regrets." She promised, snuggling back into his chest and closing her eyes. Mick smiled, now completely content. He closed his eyes and, wrapped in the arms of the woman he loved more than anything on the planet, he drifted off to sleep, praying to god that it wasn't just some wonderful dream…

AN: Alright people. Well, thanks to yet another storm front viciously attacking poor, innocent, defenceless Ontario, I was left with yet another afternoon to write. Although I'm happy that I got the opportunity to get this up and posted, I'm bored out of my mind! I actually WANT to be in school! Which is pretty sad, but…(Shrugs) I can't very well stop the forces of nature that have decided to destroy Ontario. Being Canadian has its perks and its disadvantages. Anyway, so I was able to get this chapter up and written for you lovely readers…and just so you know, the next chapter will be the last one. Hopefully I'll be able to get that one up tonight as well. Well, thanks for reading, and please review!

Love, Cat.


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: By now, I'm sure you all know the drill... I own nothing. Believe me, if I did…I'd be a Jason Alexandwich right now. I do, however, own this plot and any characters I decide to throw in. Yayz!

"So what do you think Mick called about that was so urgent?" Rory asked Dante as they entered the elevator to go up to Mick's loft. Dante shrugged.

"I have no idea. But at least he could have waited until a halfway decent time tonight before he disturbed us." He complained. Rory grinned.

It had been just under two days since the abandoned bakery warehouse incident. With the exception of feeding, Rory and Dante had spent the last two days sleeping, recuperating from what had happened. It was currently 6:00 p.m. At about 5 that evening, they'd received a call from Mick, asking them to meet him at his loft as soon as they could. Grudgingly, they'd left the comfort of their freezer and headed to Mick's. They still weren't sure what was so urgent that he couldn't wait a few hours to call them.

As they stepped out of the elevator, they were even more confused to see Josef waiting outside of Mick's apartment. As he watched them leave the elevator, Josef shot them a puzzled look.

"Why are you here? I would have thought you'd still be asleep right now." He asked.

"You and me both…" Grumbled Dante. Josef suppressed the urge to laugh.

"What's his problem?"

"Oh, he's just a little moody…having been dragged out of the freezer and such…" She smiled. "He's not exactly a morning person."

Dante scowled at her. Rory and Josef both burst into gales of laughter. Just as their laughter was dying down, the door to the apartment swung open unexpectedly.

"Hey!" Mick greeted them, smiling warmly.

"This better be important…" Dante grumbled. Rory gave him a playful smack on the arm.

"So what's so urgent?" Josef asked. Rory nodded.

"Yeah…I thought something might be wrong. Are you and Beth okay?"

Mick grinned. "Yeah…we're both fine. But it is urgent…" Mick trailed off. He stepped away from the door with a grin and opened it, gesturing for them to come in. Rory, Dante, and Josef stepped into the apartment. Immediately, all three of them could sense that something was different.

A grinning Beth came walking down the stairs. All of her injuries had disappeared as though they'd never even existed. The cast that had been on her foot only days before was gone. There was a definite change in her appearance…there was a new vibrancy to her, not to mention an almost unearthly glow to her skin and an extra shine to her hair. There was also something different about her scent…at least to Josef and Rory. Dante hadn't been around her long enough after he'd been turned to have been able to distinguish a difference.

Rory stared, wide-eyed, at Beth. "You're a…I mean, Mick…"

"Yeah." Beth said, smiling widely.

Rory stood for a moment, staring at Beth, unsure what to make of this. Finally, she rushed over and enveloped Beth in a tight hug. "Congratulations! I'm so happy for you. You finally got what you wanted."

"Yeah, I did." Beth agreed, hugging Rory.

Josef just looked at Mick, clearly astonished.

"You did it…you actually, finally did it."

"Yeah. I did." Mick said, a grin on his face. Josef smiled and shook his head.

"I just can't believe you actually turned her."

He stuck his hand out, and Mick grabbed it, pulling Josef into a half-hug. Josef looked distinctly annoyed.

"What have I ever done to even suggest that that was the slightest bit okay!"

He would have been positively frightening, if he hadn't ruined the effect by smiling.

Mick just laughed. He turned to Dante. Dante smiled and hugged Mick.

"Congratulations Mick."

"Thanks Dante." Mick said, and then added, "Look…I never got to say…at the warehouse and all…thanks for looking out for Beth."

Dante smiled in understanding. "It was nothing…after all, she's family."

Rory let go of Beth and stepped back so she could look at her.

"Well…" said Rory, a slightly evil grin on her face, "Welcome to the dark side."

They shared a laugh, then walked back over to join the men. Mick wrapped his arm around Beth, pulling her close to him, and smiled as he looked around at the people in the room with him.

"This definitely calls for a toast." Said Mick, bustling into the kitchen and returning a moment later with five glasses filled with blood. He passed each a glass of blood, keeping one for himself. Raising his glass, Mick began the toast.

"To new beginnings."

Josef quickly raised his and toasted, "To immortality."

Dante raised his and said, "To family…we may be an odd one, but that doesn't make us any less of one."

Beth raised her glass. "To eternity."

Rory looked around at the faces of the people around her…the people she cared most about…and decided on the perfect toast to finish the toasting.

"To spending it together."

Everyone smiled, clinked their glasses together, and drained their glasses. They spent the rest of the night chatting animatedly, simply enjoying each other's company.

Rory couldn't help but think, as she sat snuggled up to Dante, that eternity didn't seem so dark and empty after all. Not now that she would be sharing it with the love of her life along with her best friends. As she looked at Josef, sitting in a chair across from them, and over at Beth snuggled up to Mick on the other end of the sofa, she realized that there was nowhere else in the world she'd rather be.

They talked late into the night about what they planned to do with their immortality. They talked of how nice and peaceful it would be now that both Jeff and Scott were out of the way. They talked about taking a break from adventure for a while…having had more than their fill over the last two years.

What they didn't realize was that, as was the norm with this particular group of people, adventure wouldn't leave them alone. Eventually, adventure would find them and once again wreak havoc on their lives…but that's another story, for another time.

THE END!

AN: Okay…in answer to your two immediate questions: 1) Yeah, I CAN do that, and 2) Yeah, I DID do that. Lol. Yay! I'm so proud of myself! I finally finished a story! And with five minutes to spare before Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles comes on. Yayz! (Dances) Anyway, I just wanted to extend a warm, heartfelt Thank You to everyone that has read along and have sent such wonderful reviews. Your reviews have often been the highlight of my day, and have helped me through more than one bad day. Thank you again so much…and I definitely intend to write a sequel. I have a few other ideas floating around that I have to get written as well, but I won't forget about all of you wonderful, supportive readers…and I will write a sequel. I already have many ideas. Anyway…you've all been so wonderful to me. I definitely won't forget it…and you've done so much for my confidence as a writer…and just in general. So once again, thank you. And I'd like to dedicate this story to all of you wonderful readers…without whom this wouldn't have been possible.

Love always, Cat.


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